Chuck Versus the Liability
by A Chuck Fan
Summary: Chuck's family and spy life collide as a seemingly routine mission takes a dangerous turn. Now Chuck and Sarah face hard choices as they try to save someone they care about.  A story about family, love and loyalty. Reviews are always appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

_I just found this story that I wrote several months ago (and here I thought my computer had eaten it). It takes place in season three, not long after Morgan has discovered Chuck's secret. Ellie's still in the dark and Team Bartowski is the trio we know and cherish (no Shaw!). It's a story about family and friendship, but most of all love. There's action, suspense, some cute scenes and some scary ones. So read on Chuck fans!_

_PS-The first chapter is the longest (Sorry, I'd break it up, but I think it's a little too late. You can always read it in pieces though :) Stick with it because the chapters do get shorter, promise. Anyway, hope you like this story, let me know what you think if you get the chance. Reviews are always welcome and very much appreciated!_

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* * *

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**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part One**

Sarah Walker's phone was ringing. If she had been anyone else a call this late might have concerned her. As it was, the ringing sound only served as an annoyance. A big one. She'd already mentally prepared for a quick hot shower and then a good night's sleep. She reached for the phone, taking a second to note the name on the caller ID. Casey. Great.

"What's going on?" She didn't bother with a greeting. Casey wouldn't care.

"Agent Hoyt." Casey kept his voice low. She could hear the quiet hum of the Crown Vic he must have been driving in. "What do we know about him?"

Sarah sighed. Casey had barely left the party and already he was thinking about work. Hell, he'd probably been thinking about work straight through the festivities. He'd just been nice enough to wait until later to discuss it with her. Actually, for him, that was kind of impressive.

"Hoyt's CIA, pretty high up." Sarah slipped her gun out of her purse and placed it on the dresser. She paused a moment to look at a photo Chuck had given her. It was of the two of them, taken at one of Ellie's numerous dinner parties. She wondered what Hoyt would think of such things, mixing the personal with the professional.

"He comes and sits in for the big missions," she continued on, sliding the picture into a drawer. "He likes to compile reports on the agents involved."

"So you think he's evaluating us?" Casey's words were followed by his trademark growl.

"He's definitely evaluating us."

"Well do us all a favor then and keep Bartowski in line." She could hear Casey's car door slam as he spoke. "He may be an agent now, but he's also an idiot."

Sarah almost smiled. As much as Casey tried to hide it, she knew he was fond of Chuck. Their former asset was now a bona fide member of the team. Those from the outside who looked in on their little group rarely saw his true value though. Sure, there was the computer that swirled around in his head. But Sarah knew Chuck brought much more to the table. Unfortunately, she doubted Hoyt would see that.

"It figures that we'd finally get rid of Shaw for a week," Casey was still grumbling. "And now we're stuck with this guy."

"Well we have the courier," Sarah unpinned her hair, letting it fall back to her shoulders. "Once we have the memory card Agent Hoyt will be back on a plane to Washington."

"I'll have that courier talking first thing tomorrow." Casey sounded almost giddy at the thought. "He'll be begging to tell us where that card is."

"As long as he's in one piece." Sarah closed her curtains, but not before taking one last look out over the city. "Good night, Casey."

He'd already hung up. Sarah tossed her phone on the bed. Finally.

It had been a long day and she was perfectly ready for it to be over. She grabbed the robe out of her closet and headed for the bathroom. Just a few more minutes and then she could sink into bed.

Perhaps the blissful thought of sleep had distracted her, or maybe it was the image of Agent Hoyt sitting in Castle-her Castle, waiting to pick her team apart. But for whatever reason, Sarah Walker never heard the footsteps just outside her door. And she was already in the shower when the man slipped into her room.

Sarah closed her eyes and breathed in the steamy air, completely relaxed. Outside on the bed her phone was ringing. A hand quickly silenced it. The call would go directly to voicemail, but the photo of the caller still popped up, lingering for a moment. Bright eyes, goofy smile and a Buy More name tag reading Chuck Bartowski.

* * *

Agent William Hoyt prided himself on his work ethic. He had quickly risen through the ranks of the CIA, though his tactics had rarely won him friends. There was a reason he had been chosen to evaluate his fellow agents. He was great at it. He spotted problems quickly and he wasn't afraid to point them out. A team was only as good as its weakest link afterall. And this latest team had several candidates for that title.

Agents Walker and Bartowski, Colonel Casey…None of them had reported back to Castle after their evening out. Of course he had told them not to, but still, a good agent would have checked. And had any one of them done so then they would've known that the courier they had brought in was awake and maybe, just maybe, ready to talk.

Hoyt regarded the man. He'd been unconscious when Casey had dumped him in the interrogation room. Now he was alert, clearly anxious. One foot tapped the floor incessantly as his eyes darted around. He had no recollection of how he had gotten here, no knowledge of who they were or what they wanted. Hoyt could use that to his advantage. They needed to find that memory card. They needed to find it now.

* * *

Casey was distracted. It wasn't an excuse, merely the truth of the matter. It was the cake of course, the perfect slice of chocolate cake wrapped in tinfoil, that he'd nearly dropped while opening the door to his apartment. Amazingly enough, Morgan had made the cake. And more amazing still, it had actually been good. Casey lived mostly on frozen burritos, so the loss of any other food item could be considered tragic. And in his effort to save the cake, he had to admit that he'd been distracted. And that's how the guy got the drop on him.

The man was dressed all in black. Typical assassin. He held a gun in one hand, a silencer twisted neatly on the end. He'd been hiding behind an old bookcase, but now he raised the gun in one swift motion. Casey ducked. Suddenly his door had a new peephole. Crap. It was late. There were civilians asleep in the apartments around him. He didn't want one waking up with a hole in his head.

Casey dropped his cake and dove for the guy.

* * *

Sarah turned the handle on the faucet and waited as the water slowed to a trickle then finally stopped. It was then that she saw it. There had been a sliver of light coming under the bathroom door, but now something, or someone was blocking it. Perfect. So much for her good night's sleep.

Sarah toweled off quickly, then grabbed for her robe. Whoever it was, they weren't getting the satisfaction of seeing her naked. It was bad enough her gun was on the other side of that door. She glanced around, looking for any sort of weapon. There were scissors on the vanity. She'd used them to cut the wig she'd been wearing the day before. Now they were her last line of defense.

She took a second to tighten the knot on her robe. Then with scissors clenched tightly in her hand, she turned suddenly and launched herself at the door. With one strong kick, she knocked it clean off the hinges. It hit the intruder square in the face. Surprise.

The guy let out a grunt. He stumbled backwards, flailing wildly as he landed on her bed. Sarah charged after him. She knew he must have had a gun somewhere and then she saw it. It had fallen over near her dresser. She let go of the scissors as they both dove for it. Unfortunately for her, he reached it first.

The man turned on her, ready to fire, but she was ready too. Her foot shot out into a perfect side kick and again he was off balance. It took only one punch to knock him into the wall. A painting nearby fell to the ground. And then the wall started shaking as unseen fists pounded it from the other side. Her neighbors weren't happy.

"What the hell is going on over there?"

If only they knew. Soon enough the police would be called. The man must have realized that. Already he was heading for the door. She thought about following, but instead turned back for her gun. Her phone, where had she put it? It was still on her bed, hidden under the blankets the man had disturbed.

Sarah reached for her gun and hurried to dial Casey at the same time. It was then that realized she had a voicemail from Chuck. As she pressed the phone to her ear, she leaned out the doorway. The man had disappeared. And then suddenly Chuck's words registered. He was in trouble.

* * *

Had Agent Hoyt not been in with the courier, he might have seen exactly what had happened inside the Burbank Buy More. A series of surveillance cameras picked up the action. By the time it was over one man lay dead in the DVD section. Several others had fled the scene.

A grainy monitor in the corner of Castle was divided up into quadrants, each section showing another camera angle from the Buy More. In the bottom left corner you could see the dead man. And in the upper right, laying not too far away, was Chuck Bartowski.

Unfortunately for him, Agent Hoyt missed all of this. Several hours later, when he got around to checking the footage, all record of the event would be gone.

* * *

The door wasn't locked. That was the first thing she noticed. In fact the Buy More doors, which usually parted with a quiet hiss as she neared them, were already open. Casey, the ever security conscious Buy More employee, would have never left the place in such a state.

Sarah's gun was already out. She moved slowly, pressing herself against the wall just long enough to peer through the glass doors. She didn't see anyone. The place was empty.

She dialed Casey's number again. It rang several times before going to voicemail. She didn't leave a message. She wasn't quite sure what she'd say if she did. She stole a glance at her phone and redialed Chuck. And suddenly the silence in the Buy More was broken. She could hear music playing. It was the theme song of some movie Chuck had tried to get her to watch. It was also his ringtone. Sarah pushed through the Buy More doors and hurried towards the sound.

And then she tripped. She'd been prepared for many things, an attack maybe, but not a body. She didn't recognize the bloody man on the floor. But the bullet holes in his chest were hard to miss.

Sarah quickly untangled herself from the man's outstretched arm, not bothering to check on him. He was already dead and even if he wasn't, she still wouldn't have cared.

"Chuck?"

She saw him next, a short distance away. His eyes were closed. But there didn't seem to be any blood.

"Chuck!" She kneeled beside him. No answer. She reached out and shook him, then patted his face. "Chuck? Are you okay?"

Suddenly his eyes flew open. He gasped.

"Sarah!" He sat straight up as if he'd just woken from a nightmare. "Sarah, oh my god, I thought you were dead."

"Why Chuck? What happened?"

She helped him stand. He was a little shaky on his feet and she quickly grabbed his arm to steady him.

"I don't know, it's all kind of fuzzy." He reached around to the back of his head, then winced as she examined the bump that was forming there. "It was something he said."

"Who said?"

"The guy who came in here." Chuck's words slowed as his brain seemed to catch up to what he was saying. "We were just about to leave and-"

His eyes widened and Sarah could swear she saw the blood drain from his face.

"Oh my god." He wasn't even looking at her. Instead he stared straight ahead at no point in particular. His next words came out in one ragged breath. "Oh my god."

It was as if someone had shot off a pistol. Chuck took off running towards the door, Sarah chasing after him. She finally caught up with him fifty feet into the parking lot. He stood there under a lone street lamp. Besides her Porsche, his was the only car in the lot.

Chuck turned slowly, looking in all directions. She'd never seen him so scared.

"Chuck!" She grabbed his arm again, forcing him to face her. "What the hell happened?"

He just shook his head in disbelief.

"They're gone."

* * *

**TWELVE HOURS EARLIER**

Chuck Bartowski had many things to be thankful for. And of those many things, there was this: the outfit he was wearing, the job he was currently doing, none of it was real. He had long since outgrown this phase of his life. But still all the orange and brown was giving him flashbacks, and not the warm and fuzzy kind.

"Hi there." Sarah stood at the counter, wallet out, seemingly ready to order.

Chuck must have looked like the typical dead beat twenty something. Standing behind the cash register, trying not to breathe in the aroma of fried foods, staring at a beautiful girl he could probably never have. He had to remind himself that while this had once been his life, it wasn't anymore. Now his life was full of danger and excitement and that beautiful girl wasn't quite so far out of reach.

"What can I get you?" Chuck reached up to adjust the lovely, brown Frosty King hat that sat on his head. The logo in the center matched his ugly orange shirt. How had he gotten this job while Sarah got to play the sweet and overly flirtatious customer?

"Well that all depends…" She smiled. Okay, so this role was perfect for her. She leaned in and dropped her voice, but the smile stayed in place. "This isn't working."

"No, it's not."

Chuck could hear Agent Hoyt's voice in his earpiece. Already he didn't like the man. Even with the recent addition of Shaw, Chuck had always thought of Team Bartowski as a trio. At least Hoyt had stayed back in Castle, but that certainly hadn't stopped him from micromanaging them over the radio.

"Jansen isn't making a move," Hoyt said, as if that wasn't totally obvious.

Chuck looked over at the customer in the second booth by the window. All the intel pegged him as a low level courier. But the memory card he was supposedly ready to sell had to have been pretty important. The CIA didn't send big, fancy agents like Hoyt unless the mission was critical.

"I don't think the buyer's going to show," Sarah said quietly.

"Do we even know who the buyer is?" Chuck pretended to take her money. It was a sad fact that he could still operate a cash register perfectly.

"No." Hoyt muttered. "We were hoping to get him when he bought the card. Two birds and all."

"Give us a few more minutes." Sarah straightened, her voice getting a little louder, her demeanor more flirtatious.

"So…" She flashed a smile at Chuck again. If the courier was watching, he must have been jealous. "You want to give me a tour?"

Chuck grinned and went around to open the door for her. She followed him back behind the counter and through a maze of ice cream machines.

"Well let's hope we didn't get dressed up for nothing," Chuck whispered. "Casey might actually implode."

It was true, poor Casey didn't look happy at all. He was trapped on the other side of the counter, squeezed between two booths with a broom in hand. Chuck might have looked like a loser, but the horrible outfit suited Casey even less. Brown and orange were not his colors. And patience was not one of his many virtues. They were lucky he hadn't impaled any of their obnoxious customers with that broom handle yet.

"This is so weird." Chuck shook his head, glancing around at all the various grills and fry machines. "I worked at a place just like this in high school."

"Really?" Sarah seemed surprised. Somehow that made him feel better.

"Yeah, after Dad left I needed a job to help Ellie with the rent."

"You're a good brother, Chuck."

"Well she was trying to work and stay in school and take care of me." Chuck had almost forgotten how hard things had been. "It seemed only fair."

"Well you've both come a long way," Sarah reminded him. This was true. Ellie's path had always been obvious, but back then, working behind the counter, Chuck could never have imagined the life he had now.

"Ellie used to come over to the restaurant between classes and we'd talk about the future. I think she was worried I'd get stuck in some dead end job."

Chuck thought about that as he tossed a burger onto the grill.

"Which is probably what she still thinks."

"I doubt that."

"Sarah, to her, I'm just another employee at the Buy More."

There was no getting around that fact. All the other important people in his life knew his secret. But Ellie, the person who'd practically raised him, was probably wondering where she'd gone wrong.

"Chuck, I'm sorry."

Chuck slid the burger off of the grill, flipped it onto a bun and added the necessary toppings.

"Don't be." He sighed. "At least the Buy More looks better than this place."

Sarah nodded and reached out to adjust his name tag. There was even a little smiley face next to the "Charles." She pressed her lips together, suppressing a laugh.

"Although I like this outfit better."

Chuck grinned, he had to give her that one. And then he suddenly made a turn towards the shake machine.

"Ellie always loved these milk shakes I'd make."

Sarah watched as he handled the machine like an expert. She seemed oddly impressed.

"I'd mix up all of the toppings. Seriously, she was obsessed with them."

Chuck spun around and proudly handed Sarah a Styrofoam cup.

"For you."

"Alright you two," Casey's voice suddenly came over their earpieces. "How about a little less reminiscing and a little more catching the bad guys?"

Clearly the outfit hadn't softened him any.

"I think the Colonel's right." Now it was Hoyt's turn to weigh in.

Crap, Chuck had forgotten about him. He never failed to tell some personal or embarrassing story when government agents were listening in. He put the milkshake down, making a mental note to come back for it later.

"Alright." He reached up and pulled off his hat, messing up his hair a bit. They did have to sell it, afterall. Then he took Sarah's hand and they made their way back to the counter.

"Thanks for the tour." She winked at him.

Their courier was still in the booth, clearly impatient by this point. He checked his watch. Chuck knew he'd been sitting there for an hour already. The buyer wasn't coming. In fact the courier was the last customer in the place. Perfect.

Hoyt's voice crackled over the earpiece.

"Take him."

Chuck nodded to Casey. The man had suffered enough. He might as well get to do the honors. And so as their courier wadded up his trash and headed for the door, Casey turned to follow. He leaned the broom up against the trashcan, then pulled out the tranq gun that he'd carefully hidden under his vest.

The courier was two steps from the exit when he passed the hallway that led to the bathrooms. Casey shoved him sideways, so anyone outside couldn't see what he was about to do. And then just like that the courier was sprawled on the ground.

Chuck grimaced. He didn't even want to think about how dirty that floor was. But at least this mission was done for now.

"So," He glanced back at Sarah. "How about that shake?"

* * *

The box was large and shaped like the refrigerator it was supposed to be carrying. It was the perfect way to smuggle the courier into Castle. The Buy More was getting a shipment today, hardly out of the ordinary.

Casey grunted as he lifted the box onto the dolly. Chuck's effort to help was met with another grunt, this one seeming to convey amusement.

"Fine, have at it, big man." Chuck couldn't wait to see how he got that box down the stairs. He and Sarah would be waiting at the bottom to find out.

"Agent Walker."

They were barely into Castle when Hoyt appeared.

"You didn't see anyone out of the ordinary approaching the restaurant?"

"Everyone going into that place was out of the ordinary." Chuck smiled then realized too late that his attempt at friendly conversation was lost on Hoyt. And Sarah looked more annoyed than charmed.

"I waited here for half an hour." She approached a screen with various maps then pointed to a street next to the Frosty King. "But I didn't see anyone suspicious."

"And you?" Hoyt turned to Chuck. Oh, so now it was his chance to talk.

"No flashes."

"Well, that's disappointing."

Indeed. Chuck collapsed into one of the chairs. He was thankful to be back in Castle and away from the smell of fried foods. But he was not so thankful to be back in Hoyt's company.

"Maybe the intel was wrong." Sarah sat down across from Chuck, but Hoyt remained standing.

"Or maybe you scared the buyers off."

"Agent Hoyt, with all due respect, this was your plan," Sarah reminded him. "And I don't think they made us."

"Oh, because you two were so great at playing young lovers?"

"I actually thought we were." Chuck leaned forward in his chair, his eyes darting from Sarah to Hoyt. "I know you haven't been here long, but Sarah and I are pretty good at this."

"I can see that." Hoyt half smiled. It was clear he remembered Chuck's earlier conversation with Sarah. Apparently sharing details of one's personal life was frowned upon. People's friendships, their stories, their histories, Hoyt didn't care about any of that. He was one of those annoying by the book types. A professional. But an annoying one.

"None of this changes the fact that we still don't know where that memory card is," Hoyt had started up again. Just the sound of his voice was grating. "The courier didn't have it on him."

"What is on that thing, anyway?"

"That's classified information, Agent Bartowski."

Fine then. This guy certainly wasn't winning any friends.

"Heads up!" Casey called out.

Chuck leapt out of his chair as a huge box tumbled down the stairs behind them. Casey slowly followed it down.

"Is that what I think it is?" Hoyt regarded the box with dismay.

"He slipped." Casey hardly seemed worried as he unpacked the box's contents. Jansen, the unfortunate courier, didn't move. Chuck sat down again and swiveled his chair to face Hoyt.

"In his defense, we did ask for an elevator earlier this year."

Casey actually smiled at that. And then he tossed Jansen over his shoulder and headed towards the interrogation room.

"Nice job, Colonel," Hoyt yelled after him, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"He wasn't going to wake up for a few hours anyway."

Casey and the courier disappeared. The room fell silent. It was awkward. Finally Chuck stood up and checked his phone. He was already late.

"And on that note…" He moved forward and patted Hoyt on the shoulder like an old friend. "Listen, I had a great time today." Lies, all lies. Hoyt seemed to know that. "But duty-family duty actually-is calling."

"Agent Bartowski-"

"I already cleared it with the general." Chuck grabbed his Buy More jacket and slid it on easily. "I need tonight off. And Casey-" He gestured at Casey as he came back into the room. "Casey said that the guy would be out for awhile, didn't you buddy?"

Casey gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Well then my work here is done."

Chuck felt way too satisfied walking out on Hoyt like this. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he just couldn't help himself. The job was going well, he and Sarah were in a good place and he had big plans for the evening. He was feeling unusually confident, even under Hoyt's watchful gaze. And maybe he was simply defending his territory. Their team ran a certain way, a way that worked for everyone involved.

"I'll be back first thing tomorrow." Chuck headed towards the stairs. "Sarah, I will see you tonight at eight."

"I have some supplies to pick up." Casey gave Hoyt another unwelcome pat on the shoulder as he moved past him.

"I'll see you both at oh seven hundred." Hoyt was clearly displeased. Neither Chuck nor Casey bothered to look back as for once they were on the same page. Their march up the stairs was a silent show of solidarity that Hoyt could not have missed. Chuck lowered his voice as they finally reached the door to the Buy More.

"Thanks Casey."

Another barely seen nod from Casey.

This was how a true team worked. They stuck together. Take that Agent Hoyt.

* * *

"Quite a team we have here."

Sarah hated the way he used the word "we." She wondered what exactly the general had told this guy. Was he suddenly in charge of them? Hoyt had only been here two days, but he certainly acted more like a boss than a colleague.

"Look, Agent Walker-"

"Sarah." If they were going to be working together for any length of time, she might as well try to be nicer. It might get her farther in the long run.

"Alright then, Sarah-" He finally took a seat across from her. He folded his hands and leaned forward a little, clearly sensing her unease. "I know we might have gotten off on the wrong foot here, but I have a mission to complete."

"This memory card seems pretty important."

"It is."

She wasn't sure if he was going to continue. He didn't seem to know what to say. Then finally- "Look, I'll be straight with you."

"I would appreciate that."

"I have a secondary mission to evaluate this team." He held up his hands as if defending himself. "Nothing bad. As far as we can tell you've been doing terrific work here. But obviously Chuck Bartowski's an important guy."

"In more ways than one." Sarah wanted to make sure he understood that. Chuck wasn't just the Intersect.

"Of course." Hoyt turned towards a monitor in the corner. There was the surveillance footage from the Buy More. Chuck could be seen in one corner, heading over to talk to Morgan. "Your boy has a lot of distractions though."

"He has a life," Sarah corrected him. "And it makes him a better agent. He understands what the stakes are."

"The fact that he was so eager to get out of here tells me he doesn't."

"Look Agent Hoyt." Now it was Sarah's turn to lean across the table. "Tonight happens to be important to Chuck."

"And to all of you apparently."

"Yes, I'll be there. Yes, Casey will be helping out. We do that." Her words came pouring out faster than she meant them to. "We help each other. It's good for the team and it's good for our cover."

"Look, I didn't mean to make you angry."

"You haven't."

She was obviously lying. Hoyt could see that.

"I have a lot of work to do tonight." He stood and moved over to a small laptop he had set up. "We don't know who was planning on buying that memory card, but we have teams monitoring several prospective buyers. I'm going to go over some of their intel, see if we can put the pieces of this puzzle together."

"Would you like some help?"

"No, I think I'll be fine." Hoyt turned his back on her. His fingers were already flying over his keyboard. She'd basically been dismissed.

"And what if the courier wakes up?"

"The colonel's right, those tranqs were strong." Hoyt looked at the large, steep, staircase. "And his little tumble probably didn't help any. He'll be out for awhile."

"Alright then," Sarah stood. "Call us if something comes up."

"Don't worry, I will."

* * *

Why in the hell had he taken the Nerd Herder? Seriously. If he was trying to look like a grown up with any potential of ever having a real job, this was not the way to do it.

Chuck glanced over at his sister in the passenger seat. She didn't seem bothered by the way this evening had turned out so far. But Ellie was also pretty good at hiding her disappointment. Between her parents and her occasionally absent brother, she'd had a lot of practice.

"El, I'm sorry." Chuck watched as she took a sip of her drink, the shake he had bought her at the fast food place he'd worked at in high school. Oh god. She wasn't quite meeting his eyes. "I know dinner didn't go exactly as planned."

"It's no big deal Chuck, really."

"Well no, it is." He slowed the car at the next stoplight. "I mean it's your birthday and I wanted to do something special."

How had he forgotten to make those dinner reservations? And why hadn't he just called Sarah? The CIA could certainly pull a few strings. But then again, if Hoyt found out he was using his job to get a table at a restaurant… That wouldn't be a fun conversation.

"Chuck really," Ellie smiled as he snapped back to attention. "It's okay."

"I can't believe I took you back to that horrible place." He shook his head as he drove on, hoping that he could pull this night back from the brink. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I thought it was sweet."

Oh god, she was serious.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Chuck, you worked there for two years so that I could go to school and we wouldn't be homeless." He was coming off better now, apparently his ongoing occupation at the Buy More hadn't completely ruined Ellie's view of him.

"And besides, I always enjoyed our dinners there." Again, she was being totally honest. "Between your school, and work and Morgan time, I never would have seen you otherwise."

That was true. This was all true. He'd never realized how much she'd apparently valued those crappy fast food meals they'd shared. Chuck managed a smile of his own.

"Morgan always was high maintenance."

"Plus he was going through that phase back then, remember?" Ellie rolled her eyes. "Where he kept hugging everyone."

"That was just you."

Ellie nodded as she swallowed the last of her shake.

"That should not have surprised me."

Oh Morgan. He and Ellie had gotten Chuck through a lot. It was amazing to look back and remember a time before the Intersect. He'd gotten so consumed in this exciting new life that he'd almost forgotten the joys of his old one. Simple things, like eating terrible food with his sister-that to him was just as important as any mission.

And then just like that the spy life came back.

He'd noticed the van behind them several blocks earlier. It seemed odd that it was still there. Chuck took a quick turn just to be sure. The van disappeared from view, just for a moment, and then suddenly there it was again, taking the turn with them.

Chuck slowed down. Maybe if the van got closer he could see the face behind the wheel. Maybe then he could flash. If they were in trouble he wanted to know how bad it really was. He glanced over at Ellie again.

"What?"

She could read the concern on his face. Chuck checked the rearview mirror. He still couldn't see the driver. It was time to make a decision.

"Chuck-"

He hit the gas. The van behind them accelerated also, faster than he had expected. Before he knew it, they were almost bumper to bumper. Chuck glanced in the mirror one more time, hoping to flash.

Suddenly a swirl of images passed in front of his eyes. But it wasn't the driver's face he saw. There were facts, diagrams, pictures of steering wheels and engines and gears. Was that a race car? And then the flash was over. And Chuck had just become the world's most badass driver. He suppressed a smile. Awesome.

Chuck yanked the wheel hard. The tires skidded. He could smell the burnt rubber, but the car made the turn. The Nerd Herder flew down the alley, the van in hot pursuit.

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Ellie's eyes had widened considerably. They sped through a yellow light as she grabbed at her seat. "Seriously, you need to slow down now."

But he didn't. He couldn't. Another car pulled out in front of him and he swerved quickly to avoid it. And now he was in oncoming traffic.

"Chuck!"

He tried to block out the yelling, but he was obviously scaring the hell out of his sister. He pulled the steering wheel to the right and hit the accelerator again as they veered into the correct lane. The van was now two blocks back.

"Ellie, hang on."

He took a quick left turn, then another right, hitting the brake just long enough to keep them from ending up on two wheels. Ellie was suddenly silent and he couldn't see the look on her face. He didn't want to.

Chuck jammed his foot on the gas and the speedometer jumped again. He heard the engine straining to shift gears. He took one more turn and suddenly they were alone. The van was nowhere to be seen.

Chuck hit the brakes and let the car slow to a halt. He turned the engine off. The neon glow of the Buy More sign lit up the car as he finally dared to look at Ellie.

"Sorry… there was a tailgater."

Had he really just said that? Ellie simply nodded, her eyes focused on some point out in front of them.

"Chuck." She took a deep breath and pried her fingers from the handle above the door. "I am totally taking back that race car game you asked for last Christmas."

Fair enough.

Chuck glanced around the parking lot, realizing that his car had just advertised to the world where they might be going. Again, strike two for driving the Nerd Herder. If the guys who had followed them had any brains at all, they'd be here soon enough. He quickly unlocked the doors then hopped out of the car.

"Come on, let's go."

"Where?" Ellie leaned forward and was finally able to see their location. The store was dark, but the sign was probably visible from space. "Chuck, why are we at the Buy More?"

"I forgot something."

"Well, I can wait in the car."

That was definitely not a good plan. He moved around the hood quickly and opened his sister's door for her.

"I don't think that's a great idea." He tried to pass it off as good old sibling protectiveness. "It doesn't seem safe to leave you out here alone."

"We're in Burbank."

"Still." He flashed her a smile. "Safety first."

Well if she hadn't thought he was insane before… Ellie reluctantly got out of the car.

* * *

"Grimes!" Casey stood slowly, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He could hear a crackling sound over the radio. Count on Morgan to use some Buy More piece of junk when he had perfectly good government issued radios in his car.

"I read you, Casey."

Morgan sounded nervous. Casey should have known he wasn't up for this mission.

"Have you secured the package?" Casey paused and flattened himself against the wall, trying to peek around the corner. He could just make out some movement across the room. Probably civilians, but it could also be that their targets were early.

He suddenly realized that Morgan hadn't answered him yet.

"Grimes!"

"I have the package." Morgan was breathing heavily, obviously running. Of course he was late.

"Listen to me very carefully." Casey raised the cheap little radio to his face, the better for Morgan to hear the seriousness in his voice. "Do not drop that package, do you hear me?"

"It's heavy."

"Which would be your fault, not mine," Casey hissed. "You volunteered for this, remember?"

"Don't worry, I got it."

The radio crackled again, then went silent.

"Grimes?" Nothing. Casey cursed under his breath and stole a glance around the corner again. There was no sign of him. "Morgan!"

"I'm here." More static and then- "Sorry, I thought I heard something for a second there."

"Was it the sound of your own footsteps?"

"Yeah," Morgan didn't seem to catch the sarcasm. "Maybe."

Casey resisted the urge to bang his own head into the wall. And to think this kid was his boss at the Buy More.

"Alright, here's what I need you to do." Casey spoke slowly. He didn't want to confuse Morgan. He could see his tiny bearded form huddled behind a refrigerator thirty feet away.

"You need to get that package to the table. It's at your three o clock position."

"Where's that?"

"Do you know what a clock is, Grimes?"

"Sure, but I've gone digital," Morgan sputtered, his nerves continuing to get the best of him. "You know, pretty little numbers on the iPhone."

"Take a right idiot!"

"What?"

"Walk five steps forward then take a right." Casey watched Morgan and waited. He wasn't moving. "You do know which direction right is don't you?"

"I can't do it man. It's too dangerous. They could be coming right now!"

"Morgan, either you deliver that package or I will deliver you through a window."

"It's too soon," he protested. "We should just wait."

"Someone's coming!" Now it was Awesome's turn on the radio. "Morgan, go!"

"Guys-"

"Go!"

Apparently two voices yelling at him had the desired effect. Morgan was off and running, the package balanced carefully in his hands. He stumbled once and Casey's heart dropped. But then just like that he righted himself and the mission seemed to be saved.

"Woodcomb," Casey whispered back into the radio. "You good on your end?"

"I got this man."

Morgan took one more step, nearly falling into the table as he threw the cake onto it. He dove behind a display case as the doors to the Buy More came open. Devon flipped the lights on. Dozens of people suddenly appeared as Casey pulled the cord to drop the balloons.

"Surprise!"

Ellie jumped, grabbing her brother's arm as he led her through the doorway. And then suddenly she smiled. Casey smiled too. Mission accomplished.

* * *

"Wow." Ellie looked around in amazement. The last of the balloons fell at her feet as her friends clapped wildly. "Just… wow."

Chuck couldn't help but grin as Ellie reached over to hug him. At least the night hadn't been a total loss. Thankfully the boys had come through for him.

"Happy Birthday, El."

"You're the best brother ever." She was actually giggling. Her eyes were all shiny and Chuck realized she was crying as well. "Terrible driver, but awesome brother."

"And speaking of Awesome…" He gestured towards Devon who was heading down the aisle towards them, a big bouquet of flowers in hand. Ellie let go of her brother and rushed towards her husband in a fit of excitement.

"I thought you had to work!"

"On your birthday?" Devon pulled her in for a long hug. "Come on, babe. I wouldn't miss this."

"I still can't believe it." Ellie shook her head as Devon handed her the flowers. Roses of course. "Chuck, your boss is gonna kill you."

"Nah, what he doesn't know can't kill me." Chuck could only hope that was true. "Besides, Morgan's the assistant manager and he's in charge for the evening."

"Where is that furry little fellow anyway?" Devon glanced around, leading Ellie through the crowd. Various friends came up to greet her and there were hugs and kisses all around. And then they reached the table with the ridiculously large cake. It was three tiers high and covered in chocolate frosting and candles. The words "Happy Birthday Ellie!" were scrawled expertly across the top. Ellie stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful."

"Yes!"

Even from across the room, Chuck could hear his friend's exclamation of joy.

"Do you really like it?" Morgan practically leapt over the display he'd been hiding behind. His words were coming out faster and faster as he hurried over to Ellie.

"I swear, I practiced for like a week on this thing. This is number eight and I think this one might just be perfect." He looked at Ellie and it was so totally obvious that he adored her. "Because really, you deserve a perfect cake."

Chuck swore he saw Ellie wipe a few more tears from her cheeks. She put her arm around Morgan and the two of them took another moment to admire his creation.

"It's amazing."

Ellie seemed truly happy. So far, so good. Unfortunately, Chuck couldn't forget the van that had been following them. Of course, of course he couldn't get one fun night with his family, not without some job related madness getting in the way. If he had to leave now to deal with this, he didn't know what he'd tell Ellie.

"Sarah!"

Chuck spotted her over by the big screen TVs. Already a few of the guests were playing a lively game of Rock Band and Sarah was watching them with fascination. Clearly she'd never tried it. If they had time later, Chuck would have to fix that.

"Hey." He gently pulled her away. "We may have a problem."

"What problem?" Casey was suddenly there too. He pointed a finger at Chuck. "You specified the type of cake, the color of the balloons, the games. Now if there's a problem, that's on you."

"I didn't mean the party." Chuck definitely needed to clarify. "The party's great."

Casey nodded and there was the tiniest hint of a smile. Chuck stared at him for a moment. Wow, in another life Casey could have been a party planner. Weird.

"What's the problem, Chuck?"

Sarah's voice snapped him back to attention. Chuck led the team behind a huge stack of DVDs. The music had already started blaring, so luckily no one would be able to hear them.

"I think we were followed."

"By who?" Sarah poked her head out from behind the display. Devon had been in charge of the guests. There was no way they could tell who belonged and who didn't.

"I don't know." Chuck shook his head. "I saw a van, but it was dark and it was hard to see with all of the headlights."

"Great job, Bartowski." Casey sighed in disgust, already in mourning for his perfect party. He turned and headed towards the home theater room. Chuck rushed to follow him.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to Castle to get my big guns." He shoved past several party goers. "I figure they might come in handy if a group of armed terrorists crash your sister's party."

"Wait." Sarah stepped out in front of them. "We can't get to Castle from here. Hoyt secured all the doors into the Buy More."

"What? Why?"

"He knew about the party." She had to shout a little as the music came up again. "He was worried somebody might find their way in."

Casey made a face.

"What kind of operation does he think we're running here?" He was truly offended now. "Does he really think we'd let these people…" He trailed off and Chuck turned to see what had caught his eye. Casey let out a low growl.

"Chuck, what kind of car does Jeff drive?" Sarah had seen them too. Chuck shook his head. Of course.

"He drives a van."

Of course.

He turned to regard his team. This was embarrassing. Now Casey really was smiling.

"Thanks." Chuck nodded. He could take his lumps. He'd just been involved in a high speed chase… with Jeffster.

"I got this."

Sarah and Casey quickly disappeared as Jeff and Lester approached. In fact the entire crowd seemed to part as they made their way across the Buy More.

"Charles," Lester spoke first. Jeff stood there with a blank stare as Lester slowly began to circle Chuck. "So we meet again."

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I think the real question is, why weren't we here earlier?"

"Because you weren't invited." And that was totally true. Chuck had spent half of his morning reminding them of that fact. The other half had been spent making sure that Morgan kept the location a secret.

"We left Happy Hour Chuck, which is the only time that Jeff really comes alive."

Jeff gave a quick nod of confirmation. Clearly the alcohol was still flowing

through his brain, but Lester was just getting started. He pressed his finger into Chuck's chest as he attempted to shove him backwards. The attempt failed, but Lester wasn't giving up that easily.

"We left so that we could go and stake out your sister's apartment-"

God, hopefully Ellie never heard that.

"We left so that we could get in Jeff's smelly van," He was really ramping up now. "With god knows what bodily fluids on the carpet-"

Ew.

"We left-" Lester's voice nearly broke as it reached a pitch that few humans could hear. "We left so that we could follow you back here to our place of employment?"

"That sounds about right."

"You could have saved us three hours, man!" Lester reached out and grabbed his shoulders. He shook Chuck, apparently trying to get through to him. "Three hours in Jeff's van!"

"And you could have listened to me when I told you that you were not invited," Chuck reminded him. "You could have spent those three hours in the bar instead of stalking me to find this party."

Lester let go of him then turned and grabbed the Rock Band microphone from a passing partygoer. Suddenly his voice was back to normal.

"I'll take that as an apology."

He and Jeff walked away. One of Ellie's friends looked over at Chuck.

"Interesting guys."

She had no idea.

* * *

Lester was faster than Chuck had expected. He and Jeff had managed to get their "Jeffster!" banner unfurled and were halfway through hooking up the sound system when Casey caught wind of their plan.

"Buddy, really, it's not worth it!" Chuck called after Casey as he chased Lester down.

"Yes it is!" Casey muttered. Lester took a sharp turn into the Home Theater room and they both disappeared.

"Alright then." Chuck pushed himself up onto the Nerd Herd desk. This was perfect. From here he could see everything, including Jeff, who was huddled inside an open freezer, hugging his keyboard. Oh well, Casey would find him soon enough.

Happily, no one else seemed to notice the commotion. Devon was over at the karaoke machine, serenading Ellie with an 80's classic. A large group of her friends had gathered around to witness the event and Ellie was blushing like crazy. Seriously, Chuck was going to have so much to tease her about tomorrow. This was the mother lode.

Devon finished the song with one long, off-key note and the ladies went wild. He was obviously a popular guy. But in the end, he reached out for Ellie. And that was all Chuck needed to see.

"Nice work, Agent Bartowski."

Sarah had snuck up beside him. She really did look lovely tonight. Her hair was pulled back and the blue dress matched her eyes perfectly. Best of all she was smiling, seemingly relaxed after a long, crazy day.

"I don't think Ellie's going to forget this night any time soon."

"That was sort of the plan." Chuck patted the spot next to him on the desk. "Hop on up."

She did just that. Chuck held out a small bag of popcorn to her. The machine had been one of Morgan's better ideas. Sarah took a handful and together they sat there, feet dangling, munching on popcorn.

"This is so much better than I thought it would be." Chuck marveled at the scene. "I mean I figured we could do it, but honestly, putting a party in the hands of Casey and Morgan…"

"That's what I call trust." Sarah tried not to act surprised as Lester then Casey went charging right past them.

"More like insanity," Chuck corrected her. "But the good kind."

And as if on cue, Morgan appeared next to them.

"That-was epic!" He managed to gasp. He was out of breath, having just jammed on the drums in a twenty song Rock Band gig. Chuck clapped him on the back.

"I have to hand it to you buddy, you totally pulled this off."

"Well you and Awesome seemed busy," Morgan coughed as the air finally returned to his lungs. "And I figured we could shake things up a bit."

"Interesting choice of locale." Sarah grabbed some more of Chuck's popcorn as Morgan turned to look at her, having suddenly recovered. He was only too happy to share the genius of his plan.

"Are you kidding?" He seemed shocked that she might be. "It's perfect! Who's going to expect a surprise party at the Buy More?"

Chuck watched his sister as her friend gently pushed her up to the karaoke machine.

"Certainly not Ellie."

There was a loud crash as Lester ran head on into a Beast Master. Casey managed to stop short before there was a full blown pile up but several bystanders got caught up in the mess. A large display of DVDs rained down and Morgan clapped his hands together.

"This is so great! The 'you break it, you buy it' rule still applies." He punched Chuck lightly on the arm. "Do you know how much money we could make off this thing?"

Between the drunken guests and the pricey electronics, Chuck was guessing a lot. He never got a chance to answer Morgan's question though. His best friend had apparently spotted Ellie standing alone in front of the microphone. Uh-oh.

"Is he-?" Sarah stopped short, her mouth dropping open as Morgan made a mad dash for the karaoke machine.

"Yep."

Something told Chuck that his little friend was cueing up a duet. Ellie looked over at her brother. But Chuck just shrugged an apology. He couldn't save her from this one.

The music started and Morgan grabbed a second microphone. Ellie tried to hide her face in her hands as he threw an arm around her and started to sing.

Chuck could feel Sarah shaking beside him, trying so hard not to laugh. But finally she couldn't help it anymore.

"I'm sorry," she giggled as Morgan's singing got louder. Holy crap, was that country? "This might just be the best party ever."

Chuck started laughing too. Ellie was going to kill him, but it was totally worth it.

"Sarah, I honestly can't argue with that." Chuck offered her some more popcorn and together they watched the train wreck that was Morgan's love for Ellie… set to music.

* * *

It was well past midnight when the party finally wound down. Most of the guests had left already. Devon had a procedure later that morning, so he'd ducked out early, taking a very drunk and very vocal Morgan home with him. Chuck had heard him singing right up until Awesome had dumped him in the car. Sarah had said her goodbyes a few minutes after them.

Amazingly the Buy More showed no signs of the party they'd had, which was good considering it'd be open for business in just a few hours. It turned out John Casey was a one man clean up crew. Chuck had been in his spotless apartment, so really he wasn't that surprised. But he was definitely appreciative, especially since the eventually unavoidable Jeffster! Concert had involved clearing three aisles for a stage.

"Good party, huh Bartowski?" Casey strolled over carrying the slice of cake that Morgan had so carefully wrapped up for him.

"Thanks so much for your help."

"Well," Casey smacked him on the back. "Now you owe me one."

Chuck didn't want to know what that meant. But he had a few guesses. He was secretly rooting for a job taking care of the famous bonsai tree. The other tasks he could think of weren't nearly so pleasant.

"I'll finishing locking up." Casey tapped the key ring on his belt. He was all business now. "Just make sure you set the alarm then leave out the back door."

"Will do." Chuck thought about saluting, but decided against it. Probably a wise choice.

"You getting out of here soon? Hoyt's expecting us early tomorrow."

"Oh." Chuck's face fell. He'd forgotten about the new agent one story below. "Do you think he watched this whole thing from downstairs?"

"Probably." Casey hardly seemed bothered by that. "I disabled the store's security cameras, but not the ones we watch from Castle."

"Great." He might have mentioned that earlier. "I'll make sure the Buy More ones get turned back on.

"I can do it-"

"No, it's okay." Casey had already done enough for them. "I'll do it. I have to go wake up Ellie anyway." The birthday girl had long since fallen asleep in the home theater room. "But if you could…"

Chuck nodded to their last two guests. Jeff was staggering towards the door, carrying a passed out Lester in his arms like a baby. Casey saw them and let out a growl of disgust.

"Leave no man behind, right?" Chuck tried to smile. Casey shook his head, giving Chuck his angry eyes as he turned to go. With one hand he half guided, half shoved Jeff out the door. Chuck could only hope that Casey would direct them to a taxi and not the middle of the street.

"Hey thanks again for the help!"

And the doors hissed closed. Casey clicked the lock into place as Chuck sighed with relief. They'd made it through. Finally it was quiet.

Wow, what a night. Chuck was almost giddy thinking about how well everything had gone. It had started out a little rocky with the fast food dinner, but truly, this might have been the best birthday party he'd ever had for Ellie. It helped that he'd actually forgotten to throw several of them in the early years, so there was decidedly less competition, but still… Not bad for a busy spy slash Buy More employee.

And tomorrow back to work… Chuck pondered their latest mission as he collected up a few stray Rock Band instruments that Casey had missed. Aside from Hoyt's presence, the job seemed routine enough. Once they got the courier talking he would lead them to the memory card and quite possibly the buyer. Two birds, one stone as Hoyt had said.

But before any of that could happen, Chuck had to close up, get home and get to bed. He made his way to Big Mike's office, trying to calculate the amount of sleep he could still get tonight. It wasn't going to be much. Hoyt would not be thrilled when he stumbled into Castle tomorrow looking like a zombie. Oh well.

Chuck slipped into Big Mike's chair and switched on his computer. It was ironic that in an electronics store, their manager had the slowest computer known to man. Chuck yawned, waiting as the machine hummed to life. Years went by and then finally the login screen came up. The password: Norman. Chuck smiled to himself. Aw, Big Mike, don't ever change.

It was easy enough to pull up the surveillance system-this was hardly CIA security-and ten minutes later Chuck had eight different views of the Buy More, both inside and out. The store cameras were officially back on.

He glanced at each of them, wondering if Jeff was still staggering around out there. But he was long gone, probably headed off to the bar down the street. Another camera showed Ellie sound asleep on the couch. It was time to go home.

Chuck stood and was just reaching to turn off the computer when he saw headlights on the screen. The camera in the parking lot caught the van as it pulled in.

"Oh no." Chuck's heart sank. It looked an awful lot like the van he'd seen earlier that night. And now several men clad all in black were jumping out of it. None of them was Jeff, he was certain of that.

"Oh god." And now came the full blown panic. He could still see Ellie down in the bottom corner of the screen. "Oh god, oh god."

Chuck flipped off the lights in Big Mike's office then crawled out through the door. The home theater room was in back. He didn't have a lot of time.

Ever so quietly he slid his phone out of his pocket and started dialing. Sarah's phone rang twice before going to voice mail.

"Sarah!" The bad guys hadn't gotten in yet, but he knew they must have been standing right outside the front doors. "Sarah, I'm down at the Buy More and I really, really need you to get here now. I've got five, probably heavily armed guys breaking in as we speak."

He hung up then tried Casey. Nothing. And then there was another sickening realization. No one had set the alarm yet. Even if these guy got in, which they most certainly would, there would be no police called, no cavalry coming. Chuck was on his own. He took a deep breath and made a mad dash for the Home Theater room.

* * *

Ellie was still asleep when he threw open the door. Luckily they were hidden by the long row of curtains that lined the glass walls. Chuck peered between two of the panels. Three guys were still fiddling with the doors at the front. The other two were probably headed for the back entrance.

Okay, don't panic, he thought to himself. There was a trap door in this room. He crawled around on the carpet until he found it. A perfectly placed trapped door that was… he yanked on it once, then twice… locked. It took Chuck a moment to realize what had happened. Hoyt! Hoyt had locked them out.

Oh god. He scrambled over to the coffee table and reached under it, searching for the weapons stash. Nothing. Hoyt had managed to turn this place back into a normal Buy More at the worst possible time.

Chuck sat there for a moment, trying to breathe. There was no more time. He had to make a move… but Ellie. He looked over at his sister. There was no choice but to wake her.

"El," He crawled over to the couch then reached out and shook her. "Ellie? El, I need you to wake up."

It took her a moment. Ellie was nothing if not a deep sleeper. But finally her eyes opened. She blinked a few times as everything came into focus. And then she smiled.

"Great party, huh?"

Chuck tried to smile back. That was a no go.

"Yeah, well, it was."

"Was" being the operative word here. Ellie sat up and Chuck kneeled in front of her, trying to think of a way to convey the seriousness of this situation without terrifying his sister.

"Listen El…" he started off slowly, his brain trying to supply the right words. "Everyone's gone, but it looks like…"

He stopped.

"What?" Ellie waited for him to continue. How could he put this?

"There was this memory card this guy brought in to be fixed a few days ago." He thought up the best lie he could. "And these other guys they want it badly. They're kind of irate actually. They were calling all day about it."

"Chuck, what are you talking about?"

"Well, those guys are here. They're here and I need to go out and talk to them."

"What?" Ellie was clearly confused, as well she should be. "Why?"

"So I can get them to go away."

It was the best he could do. Right now the Buy More had only two exits and both of them were covered. There was no way he could sneak his sister out of here.

"Do you have your phone?"

She shook her head. "I left it in the car."

Chuck reached for his and was surprised to find that it was missing. He must have dropped it on that last sprint through the aisles.

"Chuck, is something wrong?"

"No." And the lies continued. "No nothing's wrong. But Ellie, I need you to promise me that you'll stay inside this room. Just stay here on this couch." He hoped that she was getting this. "No matter what you hear, do not leave this room, okay?"

"Chuck, this sounds crazy."

"It's not." He tried to shrug off just a little bit of the danger. "I just don't want to piss off these guys any more than we already have."

"Okay." She still sounded uncertain. But he managed to smile, a big confident smile that put her at ease. Sure, everything would be fine. They'd go home and eat left over cake and all would be well.

"Alright then." Chuck stood. "I'm just going to go talk to these guys, see if maybe we can work this out."

Ellie nodded. She still hadn't moved from her perch on the couch.

"Just stay here," Chuck couldn't help but throw that reminder at her one more time. "No matter what."

* * *

As he snuck out of the home theater room, he was already having second thoughts about his plan. Maybe he should have stayed with Ellie. Maybe they should have tried to hide together. But there was no way these guys would leave empty handed. They'd start looking for something and if he and Ellie were found… No, this was the better way. No matter what happened he had to keep his sister away from these guys.

The doors hissed open. The first three men were inside. Chuck had made his way over to the hallway and now he did an about face, acting like any other employee who was just locking up.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to come back tomorrow."

He was hoping to flash on just one of the men. He desperately wanted to know who they were, what they wanted. But the familiar rush of information didn't come. These men were probably low-level thugs, hired guns insignificant to the mighty Intersect.

"Seriously guys," Chuck tried again as the men came forward. "We're closed."

"This-" One of the men held up a shiny black pistol. "Says you're not."

"Whoa," Chuck continued his act as the increasingly frightened store employee. It wasn't hard. "The cash is in the register. Take all you want."

"I think you know that's not what we're here for."

And now it was confirmed. This was definitely about the memory card. Someone had seen them working at the fast food place. These men hadn't just stumbled into the Buy More by accident. They had come here looking for him. There was no pretending otherwise.

Chuck tried to size them up quickly. The two men who were presumably at the back entrance hadn't made their way to the main floor yet. But the three in front of him looked like formidable opponents. One had a large scar across his cheek, probably from a fight he had certainly won.

"Where is it?" Scarface asked.

"It?" Chuck was stalling-badly. Maybe Sarah would get his message. God, he hoped Sarah would get his message.

"The card." Scarface growled. Apparently he was the leader as the other two remained mute. That only made them scarier. "We know you have the courier."

The man stepped forward pointing the gun directly at Chuck's face.

"Okay, sure. We have the courier."

"This was a simple business transaction." He nodded at his guys who fanned out on either side of Chuck. "Now I don't know who you are or who you work for. I don't care."

"You just want the memory card."

"Exactly." The man actually smiled, his scar scrunching up on his cheek. "I just want the memory card."

There was no way Chuck could give them something he didn't have.

"It's not here."

"We saw your entire team come into this building tonight." The man's smile was gone. "You guys were having a meeting."

"Actually we were having a party," Chuck corrected him gently. Clearly they must have seen that if they'd been hanging around. "Sort of a break after a long day's work, you know?"

Chuck tried for a little levity, hoping not to seem like a threat. And until he flashed, he actually wasn't. Sarah had to be coming soon, right?

"That memory card is here."

Scarface seemed pretty sure of himself. The guys on either side of Chuck began closing in. And out of the corner of his eye, he could finally see the last two men making their way in from the back. Well at least they were all accounted for now.

"It's not here." Chuck held his ground. "I swear. Maybe we can find it, but-"

"I don't believe you." Scarface smiled again. His grin was missing a few teeth and Chuck shuddered to think what had happened to the other guy in that battle. Why the hell wasn't he flashing?

Scarface nodded to his minions and Chuck knew instantly what was coming. He dared not look back at the Home Theater room.

"Search the place!"

Chuck closed his eyes, just for a minute. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Tear it apart if you have to."

The rush of images came fast and furious. Diagrams, pictures, snippets of video from all styles of fighting. Chuck could feel his whole body relax as the Intersect took over. After failing him most of the evening, it was finally coming through when he needed it most.

Chuck blinked as the world came back into focus.

"And you-" Scarface raised his gun. His finger neared the trigger but Chuck was no longer afraid.

With one swift kick, he sent that gun flying across the room. Scarface had no time to react. Chuck lunged at him and punched him in the face as hard as he could. His fist connected perfectly. The man doubled over, probably mourning the rest of his teeth.

"Get him!"

The man's voice cracked as he yelled to his guys. Chuck went for a low kick this time, taking Scarface's legs out from under him. He fell back hard and didn't get up.

One down.

Now Chuck had everyone's attention. They came at him like a swarm. He gasped as one of the men landed a punch straight to his kidney, but the pain lasted only a second and his adrenaline surged. This was a fight he could actually win.

A second man crumpled to the floor, but Chuck had no time to celebrate. He grabbed a nearby DVD player and swung it at a third attacker. There a loud crack as the machine smashed into his shoulder. But that could hardly be heard as the man howled in pain. One arm now limp at his side, the man turned and took aim at Chuck with his opposite fist. But it was a halfhearted attempt and Chuck easily sent him flying with a back kick.

Three down.

Chuck was now watching for weapons. As planned, he hadn't seemed like a threat at first. He had caught them off guard. But surely those with guns were now motivated to use them. Within seconds his suspicions were confirmed as he saw a shiny black object out of the corner of his eye. Its owner was too far away to disarm.

Chuck stopped abruptly and held up his hands. He just needed a moment to think.

The man holding the gun had red hair and freckles. He'd come in from the back, so Chuck hadn't really gotten a good look at him before. But now he alone held Chuck's focus.

"Where's the memory card?" His voice was higher than Chuck had expected. The man seemed young, not so scary except for the gun. Maybe he'd just stumbled into this line of work, maybe he wouldn't shoot.

"He asked you a question." The fifth and final attacker, the red headed guy's partner, came up behind Chuck. This man was no youngster. His goatee had just a hint of grey and his hair was clipped short. He had to be ex-military. He held his own gun with a sure, steady hand.

Two guns, both pointed at him. Chuck swallowed hard as his mouth went dry. At least they'd stopped their search of the store.

"I said I could get it for you."

"Tell us where it is." Mr. Goatee was not messing around. His crazy eyes made Casey's look downright jolly in comparison.

"I don't-"

Chuck was suddenly interrupted by a blast of loud music from the karaoke machine. Morgan's favorite duet startled all of them. It was just the distraction Chuck needed.

He dove at his goateed attacker, but the man quickly realized what was happening. He stepped aside at the last second and Chuck's momentum carried him forward into a rack of audio equipment. Before he knew it, he was down on the ground, his feet tangled in cables.

The red headed kid had jumped back, clearly surprised by this turn of events. But the other man, he merely smiled. He took two steps closer and Chuck knew what would happen next. This was it, this was how he was going to go out, on the floor of the freakin' Buy More. The man raised his gun and Chuck waited to see if his life would flash before his eyes. And there it was-a flash-not an Intersect flash-but a flash of memory… his mother leaving, his apparently crazy father taking him for ice cream, Morgan beating him for the first time at Pac Man-that still stung-and Ellie-Ellie!

She wasn't a memory. She was there, right behind the man standing over him. The Rock Band Guitar was clutched in her hands like a baseball bat. And that's when she swung.

Wow. The little plastic guitar broke easily against the man's temple. The gun dropped to the floor as Chuck looked on in amazement. But this guy wasn't done yet.

"Ellie, run!" Chuck yelled to his sister as the man suddenly spun around on her.

Ellie took off across the Buy More, with Mr. Goatee hot on her heels. Chuck hurriedly extricated himself from the cables surrounding his feet and was about to go after them when he finally remembered his youngest attacker. The little red headed fellow who had seemed to pose the least threat of all… But now there he was, gun raised, like a kid playing Duck Hunt, taking aim at Ellie as she raced for the back hallway.

He shouted to his partner, his voice sounding much older now.

"I got her!"

Chuck didn't need the Intersect. Every instinct he had told him to kill this guy. He leapt forward, tackling the kid around the waist. He heard the shot go off right next to his ear as they both fell to the ground.

The gun had gone off. Chuck's brain struggled to process that fact. The gun had gone off.

The red headed kid had hit the floor hard and was no longer moving.

Chuck slowly, ever so slowly, got to his feet. He glanced around the store, across the racks of DVDs and CDs, over the various appliances, through the aisles of electronics… He didn't see anyone.

"Ellie?" He hurried forward in the direction he had last seen her. "El?"

His heart nearly stopped when he finally caught sight of her. There she was, kneeling over Mr. Goatee. The man was gasping for air as blood poured from a hole in his chest. That kid had accidentally shot his own partner. Thank god.

"Chuck?" Ellie looked up and saw her brother. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He managed to breathe again. "Yeah, are you?"

Ellie nodded. Chuck watched as she slid her jacket off then crumpled it up.

"Ellie what are you doing?

"Trying to stop the bleeding." She pressed her jacket back down on his chest, just above the bullet hole. "What the hell happened?"

What exactly could he say to that? His mind was still stuck on the image of that little red headed monster using his sister for target practice.

"These guys…" Chuck glanced around, checking to make sure that the rest were still down. Nobody was moving. "There's something bad on that card. And they want it back now."

"Did you call the police?" Ellie was watching her patient carefully. His breathing was getting more ragged. "Tell them we need an ambulance."

Chuck finally came out of his daze. Ellie was in full on doctor mode, but it was time for him to take control of the situation.

"Look El, we really need to get out of here."

"We can't just let this guy bleed to death."

Chuck actually had no problem with that. But there was an even bigger issue here. This guy had friends, friends who could be waking up any minute.

"These people are dangerous." He wanted to get her attention but she was too busy trying to get a look at her patient's back. "I know you're trying to help, but-"

"I don't think the bullet went through." She totally wasn't listening. Chuck glanced around hoping that one of the men had dropped a weapon nearby. He knew he should find a gun in case they needed it for protection. But there was nothing in sight and he didn't have time to waste searching the Buy More. Besides, he wasn't even sure he could use it. No, this was simple, he reminded himself. They just needed to leave. Leave, find the team and regroup.

"Ellie." Chuck took a firmer tone. "We need to go."

"I got this."

"We need to go-now."

"Chuck, no."

"Yes."

"No!" As the older sibling she was pulling rank here. "I need to do my job and you need to calm down."

"Ellie-"

"Chuck, stop!" she yelled, a flash of anger crossing her face. Clearly he had pushed her too far. "Just call the police!"

He automatically took a step back. Ellie was tougher than she looked and at times she could be downright scary. She must have seen his expression though, because her voice softened immediately.

"Chuck, you didn't do anything wrong. They can't say you're responsible for any of this." She held his gaze and Chuck suddenly understood that she was worried about him. "These guys were attempting to rob you and you were defending yourself and me."

Ellie's own words suddenly caught up with her. He could see the doctor side of her slipping just for a minute, as she realized the enormity of everything that had happened. It was a lot to take in. She leaned forward and peered under the racks of CDs. It was clear she was counting the bodies off in her head.

"Chuck," she sounded kind of amazed. "You took out like five guys."

Chuck almost smiled at his sister's tone. There might have been a touch of twisted pride in there.

"Well technically, you helped."

Ellie glanced up at him again.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

The voice instantly triggered a flash. Explosions, lots of them, so many that his head started to pound. Then there were the various weapons, carefully packaged into shipping containers bound for ports unknown. And finally a name. Jacob Dugan. Bad, bad guy.

Chuck's eyes opened just in time to see his sister's startled expression. Dugan had somehow snuck up behind him and now Ellie was staring up at them both. Still, she didn't move. She continued to kneel next to Dugan's bleeding henchmen. Chuck turned so that he was standing in front of Dugan, effectively blocking his sister from view.

Dugan made no move to get past him. The man was older, though still an imposing figure. He was maybe an inch or two shorter than Chuck, nicely dressed and solidly built. His smile had probably charmed quite a few ladies, but clearly there was another, much darker, side to him.

"Nice work here, Mr. Bartowski." He actually clapped his hands together. "Five guys, a new record, I'd imagine."

Unfortunately for Chuck, four of those guys were beginning to stagger to their feet. Apparently the sound of their boss' voice was highly motivating. It didn't help that a few more guys had joined them.

"Really, I'm very impressed." Dugan was laying it on thick. "And your sister, a doctor? What a talented family."

"Leave my family out of this."

"That, unfortunately, I cannot do."

Chuck watched as Dugan slowly reached behind his back and pulled a gun from his waistband. Then he dropped his hand, letting the gun tap lightly against his leg.

"See we like to learn a little about the people who steal from us."

And now Dugan finally stepped around him, forcing Chuck to scramble backwards. Gone were the skills the Intersect had momentarily granted him. He was tired and mentally drained. Dugan seemed to sense that.

"For instance you, Charles Bartowski," he continued. "Son of Steven, brother to-" He nodded at Ellie. "This lovely young lady here." Dugan looked from Ellie to Chuck. "And your friends, Miss Walker and-"

"I already told you guys," Chuck interrupted. He had to say something, anything. They were in trouble here. "Just give me some time and I can get you your memory card." There were now nine men surrounding them. He looked down at Ellie who still hadn't moved. "And she can patch up your man there and-"

"Don't bother." Dugan suddenly lifted his gun. Chuck reached down and yanked Ellie to her feet just as Dugan took aim and fired another shot into his own man. Ellie gasped. The guy she had been trying to save was no longer in need of her help. Dugan had killed him.

Dugan wiped his gun against his pants.

"I never liked him." He smiled at Chuck. "Crazy eyes, you know?"

Ellie looked as if she might be sick. Chuck had seen a lot, but he was equally horrified.

"Now if I did that to him…" Dugan's voice was suddenly full of menace. He lifted his gun and pressed it into Chuck's chest. "Imagine what I will do to you."

"Chuck-" Ellie grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" Chuck held up both hands and took a step back, making sure to stay between his sister and the gun. "Wait! I know where it is. I can take you there, I swear."

It was an outright lie, but it no longer mattered.

"I'll go with you guys right now," he said then nodded at Ellie. "Just leave her here. She doesn't know anything."

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Ellie immediately started to protest, but a second man raised his gun and she quickly fell silent.

"I thought you might be able to help me." Dugan gave him another sickening smile. "That's why I chose you and not the rest of your people. They're being taken care of as we speak."

Chuck's mouth went dry. And now he remembered. Neither Sarah nor Casey had picked up his calls.

"What did you do?"

"I don't like to leave loose ends." Dugan dropped the gun to his side then abruptly stepped back. For a second he looked again like just another customer perusing the store. He slowly made his way over to the Nerd Herd desk then reached out and picked up a business card.

"Computer specialist." He read the title under Chuck's name. "Nice, honest work."

Chuck wondered what would happen right now if he flashed. Could he honestly take out nine guys with nine guns and not get himself or his sister killed? There was no way, maybe if it was just him... But he wouldn't be able to protect Ellie too, he simply couldn't move that fast.

"Here's my problem with your plan, Mr. Bartowski," Dugan started towards him again. " I don't believe you know where my card is yet. If you did, you would've given it up by now."

Chuck felt his chest tightening. Dugan was calling his bluff.

"And I don't feel like driving around with you all night on some wild goose chase." Dugan glanced down at his gun and Chuck had to force himself to keep breathing. "But I believe that if I ask nicely you, and only you, will find my card and bring it to me."

"I can do that," Chuck said quickly. Somehow he was going to figure this out, he just had to take it one step at a time. And the first step was surviving. "I can definitely do that."

"Good, so I'm going to give you the time that you asked for." Dugan nodded at his men and suddenly Chuck could see the whole thing unraveling. "And a bit of motivation."

Their game plan had changed and he had figured it out just a little too late.

"Wait, no!" He whirled around as one of the men suddenly grabbed his sister from behind. "Ellie!"

Dugan smiled then raised the butt of his gun. With one quick swing, he brought it down on Chuck's skull.

"We'll be in touch."

Those last words echoed in his brain as Chuck's world went dark.

* * *

"Sarah!" She came into focus all at once. Her hair was wet and had fallen across her face, but it was definitely her. Chuck was sure of it. "Sarah, oh my god, I thought you were dead."

"Why Chuck? What happened?"

He was surprised to find that he couldn't answer that. Normally his response would have been immediate, but here… here something was missing. He tried to think back. Why had he been so worried about her? Everything had gone well, hadn't it? The dinner, the party, the karaoke machine. But his head… wow did his head hurt.

Sarah helped him up and Chuck's hand automatically went to the back of his skull. There was a definite bump forming there. What the hell? He suddenly heard himself talking, trying to answer her question.

"It's all kind of fuzzy," he was saying. But there was some reason he'd been so concerned about Sarah. He tried again to recall the evening's events and there it was-a man's face. "It was something he said."

"Who said?"

"The guy who came in here." Chuck listened to his own words, still unsure of what they meant. "We were just about to leave and-"

_We._

All at once Chuck remembered. He hadn't been alone.

"Oh my god." He was staring straight ahead to the place where that red headed kid had been standing. And now there it was, that kid firing his gun, Ellie working on his bleeding partner, Dugan coming in. "Oh my god."

How much time had passed since then?

Chuck ran for the door. He could hear Sarah chasing after him, trying to get him to stop. But he couldn't stop, not until he knew. Chuck scrambled between the two glass doors and sprinted out into the parking lot. The van was gone. His sister was gone.

It wasn't possible, was it?

He turned slowly, looking in all directions. There was the Nerd Herder he'd pulled up in so many hours before. And there was Sarah's car. But otherwise the lot was empty.

"Chuck!" Sarah grabbed his arm. "What the hell happened?"

He just shook his head in disbelief.

"They're gone."

"Who's gone?"

Chuck wasn't even sure he could say it. He tried once, but his voice caught in his throat. Sarah could see that he was in trouble, so she grabbed his face in both hands and looked him straight in the eye.

"Somebody came here?"

"Yes." He nodded. "A group of men came here."

"Did they want the memory card?"

Chuck nodded again. He needed to breathe to get the air back into his lungs so that he could answer.

"So what happened?" Sarah asked again. He closed his eyes then opened them, trying to focus on her face. Sarah, the girl he could trust with anything. "Chuck, just tell me what happened."

"They took her," he nearly choked on the words. "They took Ellie."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Two**

"Chuck we have to tell Casey."

Chuck could hear her voice, but he didn't bother to lift his head. He was still sitting at the Nerd Herd desk, face in his hands. No one had called yet.

Sarah had chosen a different way of coping with their current predicament. With the Buy More opening in less than an hour, she had taken it upon herself to completely wipe out any trace of what had happened here. The broken equipment, the fallen displays… they were gone. The body had also disappeared, though Chuck hadn't asked about that. During all of this she had managed to get a hold of Casey who had merely grumbled that he was busy, right before he hung up on her. But now Sarah wanted to try their partner again.

"Chuck, we have to tell him."

"Sarah, we can't tell anyone else."

"You can trust Casey." Sarah leaned over the desk as Chuck finally looked up at her. "You have to."

"No." This was one thing Chuck was sure of. Dugan had made it very clear. This was on him and him alone. He did trust Casey and he certainly could have used the help, but there was way too much at stake here.

"Besides," Chuck continued. "If Casey helped us, he could get in trouble." As it was he'd already dragged Sarah into his mess. "And if decides to tell Hoyt then we'll have an entire CIA team in here. I can't risk that."

Sarah had to know he was right. Hoyt's priorities were obvious to everyone. For him the job always, always came first. Sarah took a moment then finally nodded.

"Come on then." She reached for his hand and pulled him out of the chair. "We have work to do."

* * *

As the video from the Buy More played across her screen, Sarah had to force herself to focus on Dugan and his men. Already she'd run their photos through her various databases. There had been plenty of information about their leader (none of it good) but the rest of the men were ghosts with no records at all.

Sarah sighed. It was becoming increasingly hard to ignore the other two people in the video, the ones she actually cared about. She hit the rewind button and the tiny figures onscreen sped backwards into their starting positions. Sarah took a deep breath then pressed play again. She hadn't watched the entire thing through yet. Each time she'd paused at Dugan's entrance, but now she let it play out, allowing her attention to shift to Chuck and Ellie.

It had happened so fast. The van's arrival, the shooting, the entire mess that followed. Dugan had knocked Chuck out easily. It hadn't been a fair fight. On his own, Chuck probably would have flashed. And if he'd flashed, then Dugan would've been the one on the ground. But Ellie's presence had changed everything. Sarah knew from experience how hard it was to protect someone else, especially when it was someone you loved.

Stop, rewind… the tiny people onscreen became a blur. Play again. As soon as Chuck hit the floor, Ellie tried to rush to his aid. It had taken two men to drag her away. Sarah had lowered the volume, but as the scene continued she could see Ellie yelling for Chuck. The van suddenly appeared by the door and they quickly pulled her into it, leaving her devastated brother behind.

Sarah looked up. Chuck was pacing back and forth in the other room. She'd sent him to sift through the information she'd collected on Dugan. But the truth was, she had needed to distract him. She couldn't let Chuck see this, the experience had been hard enough the first time.

She played it again.

Sarah should have been there. It was her job to protect Chuck. And Ellie… Ellie needed their protection even more. Everyone, Sarah included, had insisted that she couldn't know the secret. Well here was the cost. Ellie was now lost out there, in Sarah's world. And no one had prepared her for the danger she was facing.

Sarah watched the footage one last time. Hoyt would be returning soon and she knew she had a decision to make. If Hoyt checked the cameras, if he saw what had happened last night, then Chuck would end up in lockdown. The focus would be on finding the card, not the buyers and Ellie would be gone for good.

Sarah couldn't let that happen, this whole thing was her fault. She had dropped her guard at just the wrong time. Clearly they'd been spotted at the fast food place. And she'd just assumed that Jeff was the only one following Chuck. She should have seen this coming, but instead she had failed them.

Sarah sighed. Already she'd begun the process of deleting the footage from the Castle's computers. The final warning had come up and now it was flashing across the screen. Delete, Yes or No? The No was highlighted. That was the one she'd been programmed to pick.

If Sarah erased this now, she'd be committing a crime. She could probably just replace it with some footage of an empty store and no one would ever know, but still, there were rules. Some could be bent but none could be broken. And deleting surveillance from a government server, that could land her in jail.

But Hoyt would be back soon. And Chuck… Chuck could not lose his sister. He would never recover from that.

Sarah took a deep breath and hit Yes. The footage was gone. She and Chuck were on their own.

* * *

The courier appeared to be stirring. For the last fifteen minutes Chuck had been watching him from the other side of the mirror. The man was sprawled out on the ground as if he had simply been taking a nap. But naptime was over now. They needed some answers.

Chuck had long since turned off the computer Sarah had put him in front of. There was no sense looking through Dugan's files. He'd seen everything in his flash. And all of that intel had convinced him of one thing. Dugan would kill Ellie without a second thought. But this courier was the key to getting her back.

"Chuck, wait." Sarah suddenly appeared as he headed for the door. "What are you going to do?"

"Sarah, we need to know where that card is."

"No, we need to know where Dugan is." Sarah was being tough, but not completely unreasonable. "That guy is just the delivery guy. He doesn't even know who he's selling it to."

"Sarah-"

"Hoyt can't find out about this, you said so yourself."

"He won't." Chuck was getting defensive now. "Why, are you going to tell him?"

"No, but he'll be here any minute." She reached for Chuck's arm and pulled him back into the main meeting room "And we're not authorized to talk to the courier until then. If he catches you in there-"

"Then what?" Chuck was losing patience. Didn't she see how important this was?

"Chuck, he's not just here for this mission." Sarah dropped her voice as she finally released him. "He's here to evaluate us. If he catches us breaking the rules…" She waited to see if any of this was registering with Chuck.

"Sarah, I don't care about the rules."

"Hoyt could cut off access to things that we need right now, information, weapons… We can't risk that."

Her words finally sunk in. Chuck glanced around Castle and knew she was right. All around him machines were humming, dozens of computers that could help them find Ellie. What if Dugan never called? What if the courier didn't talk? They'd need other options.

"Good morning team."

Hoyt was here. Both Sarah and Chuck averted their gazes as he came down the stairs, coffee in hand. Apparently the morning suited him. His eyes were bright, his demeanor almost cheery. Chuck secretly wished he would turn around and take his cheeriness elsewhere.

"Looks like we're missing a member." Hoyt slipped off his jacket and set his computer down on the table. He glanced up at Chuck. "I guess maybe Colonel Casey partied a little too hard last night."

Chuck didn't say anything.

"How did the celebration go?"

"Fine, it was fine." Sarah jumped in. The less said about the party, the better. "So what's the story on our courier? I can talk to him since Casey's not here."

"No." Hoyt shook his head. "There's been a change of plans." He took a sip of his coffee, his face screwing up into a grimace. "Ooh, that's bitter."

"Wait," Chuck wasn't sure that he'd heard him right. "What do you mean 'change of plans?'"

"Anybody order a dead guy?"

The voice startled all of them.

Casey stood at the top of the stairs in his Buy More green with a man thrown over his shoulder.

"Casey, what are you-"

"This guy paid me a visit last night." Casey took the stairs easily. "I guess I wasn't feeling very hospitable."

Casey dumped the body on the floor and Chuck could see some bruises around the man's neck.

"Huh." Hoyt seemed surprised, but not opposed to what Casey had done.

"You two have any problems?" Casey's eyes darted from Sarah to Chuck. Both of them shook their heads. "These guys seem to want their card pretty badly."

"Well that settles it then." Hoyt choked down some more of his coffee. "On to plan B."

"What's plan B?" Sarah moved around to examine the dead man, but Casey waved her off.

"There were some concerns that we might have been spotted yesterday," Hoyt explained. "Apparently these concerns were warranted."

Apparently. Chuck bit his lip and focused all of his attention on a crack in the floor. Hoyt didn't seem to notice his discomfort.

"The general wants the courier on a plane tonight before the buyers can make a play for him. A team will be here at eight to pick him up." Hoyt didn't seem the least bit bothered by this. To him, it was business as usual. "Until then, we're under orders not to interrogate."

Chuck's head shot up and he exchanged a worried look with Sarah.

"Wait, we can't even talk to him?" Chuck tried to keep his voice even. "I thought that the memory card was our priority."

"It was, but the powers that be think this guy could have connections to other operations. They're going to try to make a deal with him and they don't want us-" Hoyt glanced over at Casey, still standing proudly over the dead guy. "-scaring him off."

An uncomfortable silence slowly filled the room. Clearly Hoyt was waiting for a response, but nobody said anything.

"I thought you'd be happy. You guys just got the day off."

Casey certainly didn't look happy. It was either this or the Buy More. He reached down towards the dead man and yanked a phone out of his pocket. Chuck grimaced. Even under the current circumstances, that just seemed wrong. Casey held up the phone.

"Maybe this can tell us something."

He sat down behind one of the computer terminals, leaving the body in the middle of the room.

"Well I have another team that I need to brief," Hoyt seemed vaguely perturbed as he stepped over the dead guy and headed to a desk in the back.

"What about the leads you had on the other buyers?" Sarah called after him.

"We're still watching them." Hoyt hit a button and three monitors instantly came to life. A dozen or so pictures flashed across the screens, mostly shady looking men who had no clue they were being photographed. Chuck didn't recognize any of them.

"These guys haven't made any moves and to be honest I think they're pretty small time," Hoyt explained.

Sarah nodded then motioned for Chuck to help her with the body. This was no time to be squeamish. They each grabbed an arm and began to drag him towards the holding cell. The team coming for the courier could have him as well.

"Sarah-" Chuck started, unable to contain himself any longer. Sarah hit a button and the holding doors closed, momentarily sealing them in with a dead man. Chuck barely noticed.

"Look I erased the Buy More footage from the Castle cameras," Sarah whispered. "But I can't erase anything from the cameras in here, I'm locked out of that system."

"What?" Chuck had no clue where she was going with this.

"We need to be careful what we say and do here in Castle," she reminded him. "If Hoyt decides to check the cameras when all this is over…"

"I don't care." Chuck seriously didn't. If he lost his job tomorrow so be it, as long as they found Ellie first.

"Did they say when they'd call?"

"No." Chuck could feel the sweat starting to bead on his forehead. Hoyt had thrown them a whole new set of complications. Without access to the courier, they were in trouble.

"Where was Ellie supposed to be today?"

"Home. She said she was going to do chores, laundry, stuff like that."

Sarah nodded, then started to pace. There wasn't a lot of room, what with the body, but she obviously needed to think.

"So no one will notice she's gone."

"Devon's going to notice when he gets home tonight." Chuck was pretty certain of that. "Should I call him? What would I say?"

"Chuck, if there's one person you cannot tell, it's him. If you tell him he'll panic and it'll only make things worse."

Chuck wasn't sure things could get any worse, but he'd take her word for it.

"Listen," She reached out and took his hands. "You're going to have to trust me."

That wasn't a problem. He always trusted her. Sarah was the only reason he had any hope at all. With so little to go on, he needed her now more than ever.

"I'm going to go pull up the red light cameras," she said. "I know what the van looks like. Maybe I can track it."

This all sounded good. Chuck just nodded, allowing her plan to give him some comfort.

"And maybe Casey will find something."

"Sarah, you can't tell him."

"I won't," she said quickly, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze. "But you need to go back to the Buy More. You need to be there when they call."

The Buy More was the last place he wanted to be. He took a step back, letting go of her hands. He'd seen way too many things at the store last night.

"I'll put a tap on the phone," Sarah kept talking, trying to keep his panic at bay. Chuck knew he had no choice but to sit back and wait. He was the only one they would talk to. He had to be there to take that call.

"It's going to be okay, Chuck," Sarah's tone sounded almost confident. "I promise."

* * *

"Somebody shoot me."

Morgan staggered over to the Nerd Herd desk and dropped his head onto the counter, his arms splayed out on either side of his face.

"How much did you let me drink last night?"

"I don't know, Morgan."

Morgan lifted his head just a little, trying to see his buddy through the fog of his hangover. Chuck was hardly in love with the Buy More. But still. He usually didn't sound quite this depressed… or angry. Maybe it was a little of both. Morgan couldn't think too hard about it. His brain was still mushy.

"You okay over there?" Morgan managed to prop his elbows up on the counter so at least now he and Chuck were at eye level. His friend was sitting straight up in his chair, the phone mere inches from his fingertips. It rang once and Chuck jumped for it.

"This is Chuck."

There was no customary Buy More greeting. Big Mike would not be happy. Worse yet, Chuck seemed to listen for about fifteen seconds before he hung up. That was it, no answering the customer's question, just a quick slam and the call was over.

"Dude, what was that?" Morgan came around to the other side of the counter.

"Nothing." Chuck crossed his arms as he settled back into the chair. "I'm just waiting for an important call."

Ooooh. Morgan grinned.

"Did you meet a girl last night?"

He had seen some of Ellie's friends. Chuck could certainly do a lot worse.

"No Morgan." Chuck seemed disgusted at the thought. Still hung up on Sarah apparently.

"Oh wait." Morgan got it now. "It's a spy thing, isn't it?"

"What?" Chuck spun around in his chair, nearly knocking him over. "Morgan, are you kidding me? Do you think you could yell that just a little bit louder?"

"Yell what?" Lester was suddenly standing there. Jeff popped up next to him. Even after downing half the beverages at the party, he looked none the worse for wear. Morgan hated him.

"Morgan was just joking around." Chuck was talking to Lester, but he refused to take his eyes off of Morgan. Okay, he got it, no more spy talk.

"Yeah, he's such a jokester…" Lester came around and patted Morgan on the shoulder. "His comedy killed last night-oh no wait-that was our concert!"

Morgan sighed as Lester produced his iPhone. The "Jeffster! Live at the Buy More" video was playing across the screen. Morgan couldn't look. He'd already suffered through that concert once and he'd been far more inebriated then.

"Did you see this, Charles?" Lester held up the phone. The music blared from its tiny speaker. "It's gonna be a classic!"

"Is that from the party?" Chuck stole the phone right out of his hands. Lester tried to take it back but Chuck just shoved him aside as he stood. His finger hit the fast-forward button and Jeffster was suddenly reduced to a series of squeaks and chipmunk sounds. Both Jeff and Lester were protesting now. But Chuck was watching the tiny screen intently.

Suddenly his eyes went out of focus and Morgan saw him stand straight up. His hand dropped the phone and Lester dove to catch it. But Chuck didn't even see him. His pupils were dilated and for just a second Morgan thought he might faint. And then it was over. Chuck gasped then leapt over the counter, grabbing his own phone out of his pocket.

"Where are you going?" Morgan called after him. But Chuck never answered.

* * *

"Sarah!"

He sounded winded. Sarah stepped away from Casey and headed for the back hallway. She lowered her voice and turned towards the wall, ever wary of those Castle cameras.

"Chuck, where are you?"

"I'm in Morgan's office."

Sarah wasn't sure she had heard him right, but Chuck was already rushing ahead.

"I flashed!" He was practically shouting now. "I saw some footage from the party and I flashed on this guy in the corner. He was one of Dugan's guys."

"Was he one of the guys who attacked you?"

"No, but you said there were others right, like that guy from your apartment? It could have been him. They were watching us at the party."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah glanced around, hoping that Hoyt wasn't looking for her. "They probably followed Casey and me home."

"I know where the guy was working!" Chuck was actually excited, maybe even happy. "I flashed and I saw the address. It's an old abandoned storage place down on Parker."

"Parker?" Sarah suddenly spun around. "Casey just tracked the dead guy's cell phone. It was ringing off a tower not too far from there."

"That's gotta be it, Sarah!" He read off the address one more time. "That's where they are."

"Alright, Chuck." She hurried towards the weapons locker and retrieved her gun. She took an extra one for good measure. "Just sit tight. Casey and I will check it out."

"I'm going with you."

"No you're not." She holstered both guns then headed back towards the meeting room. "They could still call. If you're not there, they'll wonder why."

That was true, but Sarah knew it wasn't the real reason she wanted Chuck to stay put. She and Casey could go to this warehouse and find everything that she hoped to find there, including Ellie, very much alive and unharmed. But it could easily go the other way too. And she didn't want Chuck to be there for that. It would destroy him.

"Chuck, I gotta go."

She hung up before he could respond. Sarah came up behind Casey, careful not to startle him.

"Where's Hoyt?"

"He went to grab lunch. That guy can't sit still." Casey was focused on the monitor in front of him. Various maps moved across the screen.

"Chuck remembered something from one of his flashes-"

"What flashes?" Casey whirled around. He hated being the last one to know about these things.

"He had one at the restaurant yesterday," Sarah lied. "It doesn't matter." She waved it off. "I just found out he saw an address on Parker."

"Parker." It took only a split second for Casey to make the connection. He reached down to make sure his gun was still in its holster. And then he nodded at Sarah.

"Let's go."

* * *

Ellie Bartowski had the world's worst hangover. Her mouth was dry, her head was pounding and every part of her body ached. For one horrifying second she thought about work, there was no way she could go in today. But then she remembered that she had the day off. Oh thank god.

"Devon?"

Maybe he'd gotten up already. With one hand she felt around next to her and was surprised to find a cool, hard surface instead of a bed. What the hell? She suddenly wondered if she was on the floor at the Buy More. Ugh, if she had passed out at her own party she would never live that down.

But no, she could feel warm light washing over her face. The night was over. It was just about time to get up.

Oh god, don't make me get up. She raised one hand to her eyes hoping to lessen the pain that would come with eventually opening them. Come on, Ellie, any day now. But her body was refusing to cooperate. She rolled over and curled into a fetal position. And again, she felt that cold, hard surface beneath her. Where the hell was she?

She slowly opened her eyes and a few seconds passed as the room came into focus. There was only one problem. She'd never seen this room in her life. It was small and bare, devoid of any furniture. A single round window was cut into the wall just above where she lay. And a huge door stood across from it, sealing her in. Ellie's heart started to race.

"Hello?"

She pushed herself up gradually, first to her hands and knees, then finally to her feet. Oh god, she was dizzy. She stood there frozen in place as a wave of nausea passed through her body. Finally she stumbled to the door. She reached for the handle and gave it a quick twist. The door was locked.

"Is anyone out there?" Ellie pounded on the door even as the sound sent sharp pains through her skull. "Hello?"

But she didn't hear anything. Nobody was coming.

Ellie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Maybe if she just waited a moment, then she'd be back in her bed. She'd be home and Devon would be cooking breakfast and she'd wake up to the smell of pancakes. But when Ellie opened her eyes again, all she saw was the same empty room.

She leaned back against the wall then slid down into a sitting position. Devon wasn't here, she had no idea where she was and there certainly wouldn't be any pancakes for breakfast. In fact, just the thought of food was making her sick. She pulled her knees up to her chest and fought the urge to throw up. This wasn't any hangover, it was something much worse. She'd been drugged. Someone had injected her with something.

"Oh god," she groaned. She let her forehead rest on her knees as she tried to think. Think, Ellie, think.

Little pieces of memory were coming together creating a picture in all of that fog. The Buy More. A group of men had knocked Chuck out and taken her instead. But her brother was safe then, right? They'd left him behind.

The rest of the story slowly played back. She remembered the men, the van, the guy who'd snuck up on her with a needle. And their leader, he'd known things about her family. And yet she had no idea who he was, except what Chuck had told her back at the Buy More. It seemed like a long time ago now and she struggled to remember exactly what he'd said.

There was a memory card. They wanted some stupid memory card that Chuck was working on.

Who the hell kidnapped someone over a memory card? That seemed a little excessive.

Ellie swallowed, fending off another round of nausea. Different scenarios started to run through her mind. None of them ended well for her. For all she knew they had left her here to die. But maybe that was better than the alternative. The thought of facing their leader again, that man with the cold, dead eyes, it sent a chill through her body. He'd executed one of his own guys without a second thought. There was no telling what he might do to her.

And that's when she heard something. Footsteps. They started off faint, moving slowly down what she could only imagine was a hallway outside. She held her breath and waited. The footsteps got louder. Someone was finally coming to get her.

* * *

Sarah could hear her own footsteps echoing in the small confines of the hallway. She wished she had thought to change her shoes. When she'd run out of her apartment in the wee hours of the morning, she'd grabbed for the closest pair, the ones she had worn to the party. They were comfortable, and she could certainly kick someone's head in, but they were noisy too. And that was the last thing she needed.

She motioned for Casey to stop. He held up at the corner ten feet in front of her, allowing her time to slip off her shoes. Now barefoot, she moved to catch up with him. Together they inched down the hallway, listening for any signs of life.

The building seemed abandoned. But upon entering, she'd seen a fresh set of tire tracks in the mud outside. Someone had been here recently.

Casey crossed into a doorway, his gun out, leading the way. His finger hovered on the trigger as he took a few steps into the room. Sarah couldn't help but admire how calm he was. His gun shifted from one direction to the other in a smooth, but ridiculously fast motion. Finally he nodded at her. All clear.

Sarah stepped through the doorway into a darkened room. The windows were painted over, and she could just barely see across to the far wall. Uh-oh.

"We'd better get a bomb squad out here," Casey whispered to her. Sarah couldn't argue with that.

They were staring at a weapons workshop of some kind. Chuck had mentioned Dugan's penitent for selling highly dangerous weapons and here was the evidence. The corner was covered in maps with various targets highlighted or circled. Canisters with ominous symbols lined the walls.

Sarah walked over to one of several desks that had been set up. Someone had obviously been working on a detonator. A large digital clock was still blinking amidst a pile of nuts and bolts.

"What the hell is on that memory card?" Sarah found a flashlight and trained it around the room. If a guy like Dugan wanted it, the thing had to be seriously bad news.

"I don't know." Casey lowered his weapon in disgust. "But these guys are in the wind."

"That doesn't make any sense." Sarah glanced around. "Why would they leave all of this here?"

She stepped back out into the hallway and was suddenly slammed into the wall.

"Casey!" she gasped as the man came at her again, swinging one of the huge metal canisters she had seen. Sarah ducked and the canister smashed into the wall. Wood splinters went flying. As she rolled to her feet she was finally able to get a good look at her attacker. It was the guy from her apartment.

He spun towards her and she punched him as hard as she could. Her fist hit him directly below the sternum and as he doubled over she brought her knee up into his stomach. The canister clattered to the ground. Casey had run up beside her now, but before he could help, she'd already landed one last blow, an elbow straight down on the man's spine. He dropped immediately.

"Nice work, Walker." Casey nudged the guy with his foot.

Sarah didn't respond. Where there was one guy, there might be a team. They'd been foolish to think that they were alone. And if there were others here, then they must have heard the commotion.

Sarah drew her gun again and started down the hallway, moving in the direction the man had come from. Casey crept along behind her.

They hadn't gone far when they both stopped abruptly. Sarah looked over at Casey and she could tell that he heard it too. A faint noise was coming from behind the very last door. Sarah moved to the left, gun aimed for a head shot, should someone suddenly appear. And then Casey took a step back and stared down the door. One swift kick took it right off its hinges. They both moved in quickly… and realized their mistake.

A large group of canisters sat in the middle of the room, all wired together. Several of them were spewing some kind of gas into the air.

"They're cleaning the operation!" Sarah raised her forearm to cover her nose and mouth. That's why the guy had come back. Dugan must have realized they were onto him. And now he was destroying whatever evidence they might find.

"We have to get out of here." Casey was heading for the exit.

"No wait!" Sarah rushed past him and took off down the hallway, moving in the opposite direction. "I need to check the other rooms."

There were several doors lining the wall, each of them locked. She kicked the first one open. Nothing. She knew there could be a whole group of gun wielding terrorists in any one of these rooms. But Ellie might be there too. And she'd made a promise to Chuck.

"Walker-" Casey blocked her just as she lunged for the next door. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We can't leave yet." She could hear the desperation in her own voice.

"The rather large bomb says we should."

"Just help me check the rest of these rooms." She got around him easily and threw her shoulder into the door. That room was empty as well. She moved onto the next.

"What are we looking for?" Casey reached for her arm, forcing her to turn around. "That card isn't worth it."

"It's not the memory card." Sarah shoved him back, anxious to move on. There was no time. "It's Ellie. These guys took Ellie."

"What?"

Surprise, then anger flashed across his face. Sarah knew they had made a mistake. She and Chuck should have trusted Casey. And now it might be too late.

A slow beeping noise came from the other room. Casey looked up as the sound echoed through the building.

"We need to go," Casey grabbed her by the back of the jacket and propelled her forward. "Now!"

"But-"

"They're not here."

"Casey-"

"They're not here, dammit!"

She didn't know if he actually believed that, but there was no time left to argue. It was over. They had to go.

The beeping suddenly intensified, getting faster and faster as they sprinted back towards the parking lot. Sarah wondered just how big the explosion would be. Were those canisters in the first room full? If so, there might not be a building standing when all this was through.

"Go, go!"

Casey had picked up speed, but seemed unwilling to pass her. Instead he pushed her from behind then took a sudden turn to the right. At the last second he reached out and got a hold of her arm, dragging her along.

The door to the parking lot was in sight. Sarah could see daylight in the windows around it. They were so close.

But they never made it out.

* * *

The phone rang.

Chuck was across the store when he heard it. He'd been debating whether to head back to Castle. Sarah hadn't been able to get that far with her investigation, not with Hoyt so close by. But Chuck had just accessed the Castle cameras on his iPhone. He knew the place was empty now. The trap doors were accessible once more, so it would be easy enough to get in.

But then he heard that phone ringing. And he saw Lester reaching for it.

"No!" Chuck nearly mowed down two customers as he abruptly changed course. That call was his, he was sure of it.

"Chuck, you need to chill out man." Morgan walked up just as he shoved Lester aside. "You're looking a wee bit desperate."

"Thanks buddy." He tried to smile but it probably looked more like a grimace. Morgan seemed a little frightened as he walked away. Chuck took a deep breath then picked up the phone.

"Nerd Herd desk…" he gave the customary greeting. Lester watched him for a moment then seemed to grow bored. He went to join Jeff at the Rock Band display.

"This is Chuck."

He could hear someone moving around and then finally a voice came on the line.

"Chuck! Chuck, oh my god, are you okay?"

It was Ellie.

He nearly dropped the phone. Somehow in all of this, hers was the last voice he'd expected to hear.

"What? I'm fine," he stuttered. "I'm fine. El, are you okay? Where are you?"

"She's fine." Now it was Dugan's turn.

Chuck glanced around the store. No one was watching. He dropped to the floor, using the Nerd Herd desk as cover.

"Put her back on the phone!"

But Ellie never returned. She'd been gone for hours and he needed to hear her voice again. But instead he got Dugan.

"I'd like my memory card now, Mr. Bartowski."

"Fine, I'll get it for you." He knew Ellie had to be sitting right there, wondering how in the hell she'd ended up in this mess. "Just tell me where I should take it."

Chuck grabbed a pen and got ready to scrawl the address on the palm of his hand. But Dugan wasn't done yet.

"Do you even know what's on it?"

He sounded amused by this. Chuck nearly broke the pen in half. Dugan was toying with him.

"Do you really think I care right now?"

"Good," Dugan said. "I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. You didn't seem to be listening earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"It looks like your friends have been snooping around," he continued on. "You know, the ones my men failed to kill last night."

Sarah and Casey… Chuck's heart sank.

"Well let's just say we finished the job."

Chuck pressed the phone closer, hoping that Dugan could hear every ounce of venom in his voice.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care."

There was more rustling and for a moment he thought he could hear Ellie again. He desperately wanted to know what was happening, if she was really okay.

"I'd like to talk to my sister now."

"You can talk to her tonight, six' o'clock," Dugan cleared his throat then read off an address. Chuck wrote it down quickly. He knew Dugan wouldn't call again.

"I'll be there."

"If I see anyone else, she's gone forever."

"I said I'll be there," Chuck managed to keep his voice even.

"Good, she's a lovely girl."

Chuck's blood ran cold as Dugan continued.

"I think she deserves to make it to her next birthday, don't you?"

Chuck never got a chance to answer. Dugan was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Here comes part three. Thanks to those of you who are following along, I hope you're enjoying it! I'll try and get more up soon._

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Three**

**

* * *

**

"Walker?"

Sarah coughed. It felt like a pound of dust had settled into her lungs.

"Walker, where the hell are you?"

She could hear Casey's footsteps somewhere close by, but it was hard to see through the cloud of smoke that surrounded her. She could still feel the heat. Somewhere nearby the building was burning.

"I'm here." Sarah rolled onto her stomach and managed to push herself up onto her knees. She glanced around and suddenly realized that she was outside. The force of the blast had knocked them through the door.

"I can't say that wasn't fun." Casey appeared, his hand outstretched. She took it with gratitude and groaned as he helped her up. Already she could feel a huge bruise forming on her side, but nothing seemed broken.

"You okay?"

She looked him over. One of his sleeves was in tatters. A red gash could be seen through the ribbons of fabric. But Casey barely seemed to notice.

"I'm fine." He wiped a spot of blood from his lip. "You?"

"Great," Sarah muttered. Casey nodded as they both turned to survey the damage.

The building was still there but someone could have driven a car through it now. The back wall, where the explosion had originated, had a gaping hole in it. An equally large crater reached out to the property line. The evidence was gone. The man who'd attacked her was certainly dead… along with anyone else who'd been in there.

Casey turned and kicked at a pile of debris.

"You should have told me." He sounded momentarily drained. "I'm your partner. I'm the one who's backing you up."

"I know." Sarah stared at the ground. "Chuck didn't want Hoyt to find out."

"Well I'm sure as hell not going to tell him." Casey shook his head in disgust. "You and Bartowski, you have your little secrets and it's real cute and all, but this is serious. That girl's a civilian and she's our responsibility too."

"They want the memory card, Casey."

"Of course they want the damn memory card." Casey started back towards the car. Sarah, still barefoot, struggled to follow him. "But we can't give it to them. Hell, we don't even know if Ellie's still alive."

Casey opened the passenger door for her, but Sarah hesitated. She wasn't sure how she would explain this to Chuck. They didn't know any more now than they had this morning and if anything the situation seemed even worse. A surge of emotion suddenly hit her and she found herself blinking back tears. The events of the day so far had left her exhausted and she took a deep breath, trying to keep herself in check. She glanced back once more at the smoldering building.

"I'm not saying she's dead." Casey knew exactly what Sarah was thinking. He leaned against the Crown Vic, still holding the door open for her. "We just need to come up with a better plan. There's no way we can let the guy who did this-" he nodded towards the building. "-get whatever info is on that card."

"I know."

She could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She slipped it out then sighed as she realized who the caller was.

"It's Chuck."

"Well answer it," Casey said. "Tell him we don't know anything yet."

Sarah hit the button on the phone.

"Hey Chuck."

"Sarah!" Chuck sounded relieved. "Oh see, I knew you'd pick up. I don't know why I was even worried. You're Sarah, right? You cannot be killed."

"Chuck, what are you talking about?"

"Dugan said he killed you guys."

"What?" Sarah whirled around. Someone must have seen them walk into the building. And if that was true, then that someone could still be watching. Sarah hurriedly jumped in the Crown Vic and nodded for Casey to do the same.

"Chuck, when did you talk to him?" She heard the car's engine come to life. Casey hit the gas and the tires let out a long squeal as they left the burning building behind.

"He just called. He wants me to bring him the card."

"What about Ellie?"

"I talked to her, but just for a second."

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed with relief. At least they knew she hadn't been in the building.

"Sarah, he wants me to come alone," Chuck lowered his voice and Sarah could almost hear the wheels spinning in his head. "And he's already tried to kill you guys twice."

"Chuck hold on," Sarah needed to slow him down. This was all going way too fast. "We don't even know where that card is."

The Vic suddenly swerved as Casey leaned towards the phone.

"Don't you give him that memory card, Bartowski!"

"Casey's right." Sarah hated to admit it.

"You told Casey?"

"Of course she told me." Casey could apparently hear him. "When you nearly get blown up, it's nice to know why."

Sarah yanked the phone back and Casey finally straightened in his seat.

"Chuck, listen," Sarah turned towards the window, putting a few more inches between her and Casey. "If you even look at that courier, Hoyt will stop you. You'd be a committing a crime."

"A big one!" Casey couldn't help but add. Sarah made a face at him. This wasn't helping.

"Just stay at the Buy More until we get back," she started again. "We'll come up with a plan-"

"Sarah, she's my sister."

"I know, and that's why we're doing everything we can." She stopped short of mentioning the memory card again. That was a sticky situation. Of course the easiest way to get Ellie back was to hand the thing over, a simple trade. But there had to be another way.

"Chuck?" She waited for him to respond. She knew this was killing him. "Ellie's gonna be fine."

"I know." He sounded disappointed. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

Castle was empty. Hoyt hadn't returned yet. But a team would be coming for that courier shortly. And with the courier went the memory card. And with the memory card went any hope of saving Ellie. There was no way Dugan would return her without seeing it first. Chuck had a huge decision to make.

He knew he could trust Sarah, Casey too. He knew that even if they wouldn't admit it, in the end they could probably get him that card. But first they would have to go over their options. The card was the absolute last resort. But that would take up precious time. And if for any reason either one of them changed their minds, if they told Beckman or Hoyt, then Ellie would die.

He had worked for the government for three years. He believed in what he did. And he believed in his team. But that was his sister out there, his sister who'd done nothing wrong, who'd simply been caught up in their operation. She was his family and he wasn't sure that Casey or Sarah could really understand what that meant. They lived in a world of assets and enemies, not family and friends. But it was his responsibility to bring Ellie home. They took care of each other, no matter what. It had been that way long before he'd ever entered the spy world and he wasn't going to let his job change that.

Chuck slipped into the break room and headed straight for the bank of lockers against the wall. He knew exactly what he had to do.

"Where you off to in such a hurry?"

Morgan poked his head into the room. He saw Chuck standing by the locker and suddenly his eyes widened. He quickly stepped through the door, closing it behind him.

"You have a mission, Chuck?"

"Not exactly, buddy."

"Hey man, I can help." Morgan stepped forward, eager to offer his services. "Whatever you need, wing man, look out…"

Chuck thought about that for a minute. He had no way to know when Hoyt might return. But if he caught Chuck talking to the courier, then this would all be over. Losing the job was one thing, but he couldn't risk losing access to the Castle and the information inside.

"Alright." Chuck opened the locker then punched in the code. The door to Castle slid open without a sound. He stepped aside and let Morgan enter first. His friend had a huge grin plastered across his face. If only he knew.

* * *

Chuck was okay. At least Ellie could be sure of that now. He was alive, unhurt and apparently in possession of the world's most important memory card. She still didn't get it. Someone must have dropped it off at the Buy More to be repaired, but come on, what could possibly be on it that was worth all of this? And just how far would these people go to get it back?

Ellie had overheard most of their conversation with Chuck. Her nausea had finally passed and she was able to think clearly again. She knew that she had to find a way out of this. She'd tried the window, but it was locked. And even if she could break through, it was a long, long way down if she fell.

The leader, the one they called Dugan, stood in the corner of the room speaking to the man with the scar on his face. Curtis, she reminded herself of his name. She'd been wary of him from the very beginning. He'd been watching her for a while and now, even as he talked to his boss, his eyes lingered on Ellie. It gave her the creeps. She knew his interest had nothing to do with a memory card. Dugan glanced from Curtis to Ellie and seemed to realize where this was heading.

"What are you looking at?" he demanded. Curtis finally snapped to attention. He gestured at Ellie.

"Come on." He grinned as if they were all in on some joke. "We coulda grabbed the angry guy, or that goofy kid, but you wanted her."

Dugan didn't respond immediately and Ellie started to feel sick again. As scared as she was of Dugan, suddenly Curtis seemed like the greater threat. And if Dugan left now, she was going to be in very big trouble.

"Come on boss," Curtis tried again.

"We're not playing games here," Dugan finally growled. "And I certainly didn't bring her here for your amusement."

Ellie tried to slow her racing heart as the argument grew more heated. They abruptly switched to some other language and now she could no longer follow along. She eyed the door across the room. One of the men had left it open a crack. There was no way to tell where it led, but she knew that if she could get to it, then maybe she'd have a chance. One thing was for sure, she couldn't stay here.

At some point long ago, when she'd been working late nights at the hospital, Chuck had insisted that she take a self-defense class. Now she tried to think back. There had been all this talk about escaping bad situations, but truly she'd never imagined herself in a situation like this.

Curtis had stepped forward. He was yelling at Dugan, clearly not ready to back down from this fight. Ellie wondered if Dugan was still armed. After what had happened earlier at the Buy More, it didn't seem wise for Curtis to go up against his boss. But the man wanted something very badly and she knew exactly what that something was.

It was time to go.

Dugan pushed his man back and Curtis stumbled, landing hard on the floor. It was all the distraction she needed. Ellie ran for it. Dugan saw her immediately and spun around to catch her, but she shoved the steel door at him, smashing him into the wall.

"Get her!" he shouted.

Ellie raced down the hallway. She was barefoot, her shoes lost somewhere between the Buy More and here. And because of that she ran even faster, her feet flying along the cool steel beneath her. Her heart was pounding, but somehow she knew she would make it. She had no idea where she was, but as she turned a corner she could see a door at the end of the hallway. If she could just get to that…

She screamed as someone grabbed her from behind. Curtis had caught up to her. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up off of the ground.

"Where do you think you're going?" he laughed. She could feel his breath on the side of her neck. Ellie was terrified. She threw her head back, and caught him right in the jaw. He let go of her for just a second and she stomped on his foot as she dropped to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" He doubled over as she elbowed him hard in the stomach. Still he got a hold of her arm, nearly taking her down to the ground. But at the last second she managed to squirm out of his grasp.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

This wasn't some idle threat, Ellie realized. The man was angry now. She might have survived an encounter back in the room, but things had changed. She'd picked a fight and now if he caught her she knew she was dead. Ellie spun around and as he stood she punched him right in the throat. That was one thing she definitely remembered from self-defense class. Always go for the airway. Happily it worked. He fell to his knees, gasping.

Ellie's entire body trembled as she quickly backed away from him, the relief washing over her. She had beaten him. She was going to get out of here.

And that was when she turned… and found Dugan there waiting. He was standing in front of her, calm as can be. There was a large gash on his forehead from where the steel door had hit him and a trickle of blood ran from his lip. She had hurt him at least. But there would be a price to pay for that.

In an instant, he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall. Ellie winced, blinking back tears. She'd almost made it to the end of the hallway, but almost wasn't good enough.

"I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore." Dugan nodded towards Curtis who was still wheezing behind them.

"And I'm going to excuse this for now," he continued on, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Because you were scared and my colleague here was being very rude."

Ellie just nodded. There was nothing she could say at this point.

"But let me tell you one thing…" Dugan's voice dropped to a near whisper. "If you try this again, I'll really give you something to be scared of."

A shiver ran down her spine as he leaned in closer.

"Trust me little girl." He smiled. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

* * *

"So here's where you'll be looking." Chuck pointed at the large screen overhead. He'd called up all of the Buy More and Orange Orange surveillance cameras. From here Morgan could see anyone who entered Castle.

"Got it." Morgan swiveled in his chair, unable to keep still. He was clearly excited. He reached out and tapped a few keys on the keyboard in front of him. Immediately the view on the screen changed. The interrogation room camera was up and Chuck could see the courier pacing in the corner.

"Just don't touch anything."

Chuck quickly changed the cameras back. Morgan yanked his hands off the keyboard and nodded, all serious now.

"You can count on me." He actually saluted. Chuck slipped in his earpiece then nodded to the little box that looked like a speakerphone.

"If you see anyone, just let me know, okay?"

"I am on it."

"Great." Chuck tried to sound confident. But it was hard to project something he simply didn't feel. He gave his buddy one last slap on the back then headed down the hallway. His first stop was the weapons locker. He pulled out a gun then checked to see if it was loaded. It wasn't. Chuck reached for the ammunition, then hesitated.

He'd come up with a quick and simple plan on the way down to Castle. The courier wasn't going to give up the information he wanted so easily. Chuck would need to persuade him through whatever means necessary. He'd seen Casey do it before, but interrogation by brute force had never been Chuck's style. The Intersect, with all its flashy karate moves and weapons training could do it for him. But he'd have to make sure he would flash.

There was one way to force the Intersect into working. If his life was absolutely in danger, if there was no other way out, he knew, or at least he hoped, that it would take over. He'd become the better, stronger, less feeling version of himself. He could be Casey and get exactly what he needed. But there was no way to trick his own mind. For the Intersect to kick in, the threat would have real.

Chuck reached for the ammunition and loaded it into the gun with one swift motion. He was ready.

"Mr. Jansen."

The courier turned to regard him as he entered the room. He smiled at Chuck. It was unnerving.

"You too?" The man laughed. "Everybody wants to know where my memory card is. I guess you guys don't talk much, huh?

"Let's make this easy." Chuck took a step forward, the gun in his hand clearly visible. "Just tell me where I can find it."

The courier actually seemed surprised by his request. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"Tell me what I get for my trouble."

Chuck raised the gun and pointed it at him. The muzzle was mere inches from the man's face.

"You get to not die."

Jansen smiled again and actually took a step closer. He was calling Chuck's bluff. This was all just a game to him.

"No deal."

Chuck wanted to beat the crap out of him. He really, really did. But all of the kung fu, the fancy fighting skills… it was all locked away, deep in his mind. Besides, this man wasn't armed, wasn't actually a threat to him at all. And at his very core Chuck simply couldn't hurt a defenseless person standing in front of him. Jansen wasn't the one who had Ellie, he was just the guy in Chuck's way.

Chuck slowly lowered the gun. It was time to let the Intersect do its job. He needed it to take over, to make him a spy that could get a job done, not a brother whose emotions were getting the best of him.

Chuck put the gun on the table, then stepped back again. Now he definitely had Jansen's attention.

* * *

Morgan sat there and watched the whole thing unfold. He couldn't help it. As soon as Chuck had left him, he'd switched on the Interrogation room camera. This might be his one chance to catch his buddy in action. But what he saw baffled him. Hadn't Chuck seen enough movies to know that you never gave up the gun?

Jansen was surveying the situation, obviously confused. But he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. He lunged for the gun and Morgan nearly leapt out of his chair. But Chuck was calm, still, and Morgan could see what was happening. He was flashing on something. Jansen's actions, the threat he had suddenly become, had caused Chuck to flash.

And then everything changed. Chuck launched himself at Jansen just as the courier got his hands on the gun. Chuck kicked him first, backing him up against the wall, then jammed the table into his body, trapping him there. The gun clattered across the floor.

Jansen grunted, clearly in pain. It took all of his effort to shove the table back and wriggle free. Morgan sat transfixed, wondering if he should go to Chuck's rescue. But then Jansen tried to get past Chuck and Chuck easily caught him with a punch to the gut. He threw Jansen across the table, one hand to his throat. Chuck certainly didn't need any help.

"Where's the card?" The tone of Chuck's voice gave Morgan the chills. "Tell me where I can find it."

The courier coughed. It sounded like he was actually choking. Chuck grabbed the man's jacket with both hands and dragged him off the table, pinning him against the wall again. Morgan had to remind himself that this was the Intersect at work. This was Chuck's job. But still…

"You have about ten seconds to talk."

"I want to speak to Hoyt," Jansen gasped. Chuck lifted him a few inches off the floor. Morgan couldn't believe it. When the hell had his friend gotten so strong?

"This is me asking you nicely." Chuck's fingers were turning white as he held the courier there. When the man didn't respond, Chuck shook him, slamming him into the wall one more time.

"I hid it…" Jansen finally gave in. "But I can tell you where to go."

The courier was still wheezing and Morgan couldn't quite catch what he said next. In fact he didn't want to. This was not the Chuck Bartowski he'd signed up to see. His old friend had morphed into someone barely recognizable.

Morgan reached over and turned the monitor off.

* * *

So now he knew where the memory card was.

Chuck let go of Jansen and the courier slumped over, grabbing at the wall for support.

"You people are crazy," he muttered, his words barely audible. "How many times are you gonna come in here?"

Chuck ignored him. His limbs were suddenly heavy. His movements felt slower. He took a few steps back as Jansen stumbled forward into a chair.

"Go on and take it."

Chuck didn't respond. Instead he reached down and picked up the gun. He quickly emptied the ammunition in case Jansen got any more big ideas. But the man was obviously defeated.

"This job wasn't worth it anyway." The courier continued. "I don't need that much blood on my hands."

He wished so much that Jansen hadn't said that. Chuck had spent the last half an hour trying to look past the obvious flaw in his plan. Whatever was on that card was dangerous and handing it over to Dugan would have huge consequences, and not just for him.

Chuck didn't want to ask, but the door had been opened.

"What exactly is on that thing?"

Jansen shrugged.

"I thought it was the same old stuff, some list of military targets or agents or something."

Apparently that wouldn't have been enough to trouble him. Jansen just shook his head, staring down at his hands. Chuck hadn't even noticed the ring on his finger.

"But this buyer…" Jansen sighed. "I don't know his name, but I've heard stories. He'll do anything for money and he holds a serious grudge too. He took out an entire hospital wing on a contract killing, then murdered the guy who didn't pay him in full."

None of this was making Chuck feel better. Some bad guys had a code. And some, like Jansen, had just the tiniest hint of a conscience. Dugan clearly had neither.

"That card was stolen from some big wig scientist." Jansen twisted the ring he was wearing. "I looked the guy up. He's scary smart all into biology and physics and stuff. Last anyone knew he was designing a weapon."

"What kind of weapon?" It was another question Chuck hated to ask, but the words came out anyway.

"I don't know." Jansen looked up. "But I guess you're about to find out."

* * *

"Chuck, what happened in there?" Morgan was on him as soon as he left the room. But Chuck kept walking, side stepping his buddy.

If there was any hope of saving Ellie, Chuck knew he'd have to think like Dugan, to focus on one objective and to hell with the rest of it. It would make him no better than the bad guys he was trying to stop, but already he had one foot over the line here. What he'd done in that room, forcing the info out of the courier, it was something he'd never thought himself capable of. And now it was time to decide just how much farther he was willing to go.

"Morgan, I can't talk about this right now." He stared straight ahead, his eyes focused on the stairs that would help him escape.

"Chuck wait." Morgan chased after him. His excitement was long gone, replaced by concern. "Let me in man, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, buddy."

Chuck hit the end of the hallway and punched a code into the keypad by the door. They were back in the break room. The darkness of Castle was behind him and he winced as he came out into the bright lights of the Buy More.

"Chuck-" Morgan hurried out after him as the locker door started to close.

"It's spy business."

But apparently that wasn't a good enough excuse. Morgan suddenly jumped in front of him, forcing him to stop in his tracks.

"Chuck I have known you most of my life," Morgan's tone was dead serious. "And I can tell you right now that it's a lot more than that."

They stared at each other for one long moment until finally Chuck broke.

"It is." He felt a surge of frustration. And then it all came spilling out, everything he was thinking, everything he was feeling. He couldn't stop it.

"It is more than that." Chuck had to drop his voice to keep from yelling. "It's being a spy, it's having all these people that you need to protect, people you love and some people, a whole world full of people, that you don't even know."

Morgan stayed quiet as Chuck pushed on. His anger at this entire situation had finally boiled over.

"For instance, here's an important question for any good spy." Chuck spun around and yanked his locker door open. "You have someone you care about-"

"Like Sarah?"

The question caught him off guard and Chuck shook his head.

"No, not like Sarah. Just someone, someone who's important to you." Chuck found his keys and shoved them into his pocket. "But that person's in trouble and the only way you can help them is to sacrifice-" he stopped short, then slammed the locker closed. "To sacrifice something big."

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"It's the greater good Morgan." Chuck turned to face his friend head on. "Which do you choose, yourself and what you care about most, or the greater good?"

Morgan continued to stare at him for a long, long moment. Chuck thought he might actually have an answer, but then he just blinked and shook his head.

"I got nothing for you." Morgan sounded genuinely apologetic. "I'm no good at these morality puzzles, you know that."

Chuck sighed. He didn't know what he should do, who he should listen to. Sarah and Casey would be back soon, but then again so would Hoyt. And Dugan was waiting and the memory card was just out there, no one having claimed it yet.

"Ellie!" Morgan said suddenly, grabbing Chuck by the shoulders. His friend smiled as if he'd just found the answer they'd both been searching for. "You should totally ask Ellie, she's great at this kind of stuff."

Chuck didn't know how to respond to that. But Morgan just kept nodding, sure he had helped in some way. Maybe he had. He clapped Morgan on the back as he headed for the door.

"Thanks buddy."

* * *

Chuck wasn't at the Buy More. Casey had done a quick run through, but Jeff and Lester had long since taken over the Nerd Herd desk and Chuck was nowhere to be found. Dammit. Casey didn't know whether to be pissed at Bartowski or proud of him.

He caught up with Sarah in the yogurt shop and filled her in on their latest problem.

"Let's hope he's in Castle." Sarah was already entering the security code. There was a single beep and the door came open. Casey followed her inside.

"You think he'd talk to that courier?"

Sarah didn't even need time to consider it.

"Yeah, I do."

They were at the top of the stairs when Sarah suddenly stopped. Casey nearly ran into her. Already though, he could see what the issue was. Hoyt was down on the main floor, standing over a computer terminal. He didn't bother to look up at them.

"You're too late." Hoyt's fingers flew across the keyboard. He nodded towards the large monitor on the wall as a small quadrant of surveillance footage expanded to fill the entire screen. There was Chuck, pulling a gun on the courier.

"Your boy's long gone."

Casey and Sarah couldn't help but watch the interrogation play out. Chuck had clearly flashed and there he was fighting like the spy they'd trained him to be. Casey would never admit it, but he was a little impressed. Sarah just seemed alarmed.

"You don't know the situation." She shifted her gaze back to Hoyt. "You don't know…"

"What?" Hoyt finally turned around. "About Dugan? Or about his sister?"

Sarah looked over at Casey, then back to Hoyt.

"That's where you're wrong Agent Walker." Hoyt tapped a single key with his index finger. The screen went black. "I know everything."


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Hi guys, thanks for sticking with the story! I thought I'd add a little more before the holiday weekend. Those of the you in the US, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! The rest of you, have a wonderful Thursday!_

_

* * *

_

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Four**

Jacob Dugan was sick of this day. By now this whole operation should have been over. But the courier the sellers had chosen hadn't been ready for the big leagues. The man was small time and stupid. He'd probably shot his mouth off at the wrong moment, maybe at some bar after a job or maybe to some buddy who'd made a deal with the cops. Either way Jansen had inadvertently screwed them. Someone had learned about their card. Luckily Dugan had been ready. He'd assumed the worst and so he'd waited, carefully watching over the activities at the fast food place. And now here they were.

Dugan should've had that card in his hands by now. Instead he was bleeding, taken out by a hostage he had grossly underestimated. By tomorrow this would all be over, but he'd probably have a fresh scar on his forehead, one to match that idiot guy he'd let on his team. That had been another mistake. Curtis was just another low-level henchmen who had no idea what the bigger prize was. The things Dugan could do with that card… there was no telling what people would pay for the weapon he'd soon be building.

Dugan tightened his grip on the girl's arm. Ellie, he remembered her name now. Already six of his men had appeared in the hallway. They'd come running when they'd heard the commotion and now they formed a semi-circle around Dugan and the increasingly frightened girl they had kidnapped.

"Let's make her more comfortable, shall we?" Dugan smiled. "Someone will be coming for her soon."

He nodded to Roberts, the only man here he really trusted. They'd worked together for years now doing all kinds of dirty deeds and making all kinds of money. Roberts already knew exactly what he wanted. They'd played this game before.

And so, as Dugan dragged the girl back to the room, the team suddenly sprang into action.

"I have to say I'm impressed." Dugan looked over at Ellie. He knew he had scared her badly and that was the point. "I didn't peg you for a fighter. Had I known, we could have done all this earlier."

"What's on that card?" Her voice was quiet.

"You can ask your brother when he gets here," Dugan shoved her through the doorway. They had to step around the group of men that had gathered there. Already they were carrying their supplies in, handling the little blocks gingerly.

"Are you going to hurt him?"

"Not if he brings my card." Dugan couldn't tell if she believed him or not. But this girl was smart, she probably didn't.

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will." Dugan had backed her into the corner now. Roberts arrived with the well-worn shackles he kept in his office. He attached one end to Ellie's ankle and the other to a length of pipe that ran along the wall. A chair had suddenly appeared and Dugan pushed her down into it.

"Have a little faith Ellie," he said. "You'd show up for him, wouldn't you?"

Of course she would. That's what Dugan had counted on. From the minute his men had snuck into that birthday party, their little cameras had sent back a live feed of the action. There was no way to know where his memory card was. But there were three people from that fast food place who could probably tell him. And Dugan, sitting far away in front of his computer had watched each of them carefully. Between the reports from his men and the birthday footage, he had easily passed on two members of the team, they were clearly better trained and would be more of a handful. But the third member… Dugan had paid special attention to him. The kid had been smiling and laughing with his sister. Their bond seemed particularly close. And love was the biggest weakness of all, the easiest thing to exploit. Once Dugan had realized that the kid didn't have the card to hand over, at least not yet, his new plan had formed easily.

Roberts handed him a freshly cut length of rope. Dugan had counted on that boy's love for his sister, but he hadn't counted on that sister being this big a pain. Most hostages, at least the civilians, curled up and cried in a corner. Oh well, one glance in the mirror at his lovely new scar would remind him to be a little more careful from now on.

Roberts hovered over them, holding Ellie in place in the chair. She struggled a little, nearly scratching Dugan as he grabbed at her arms.

"Don't-" She yanked her hands back instinctively. But Dugan was an expert at this by now. He latched onto her wrists, pulled them behind the chair then tied the knots easily. The rope was rough and he doubted she'd struggle much longer. It wasn't going to do her any good.

"Are you watching them?" He nodded towards his men by the door. Much to his delight, Ellie's gaze had wandered over to the group. Her curiosity was obvious, but it was somewhat tempered by her fear. "It's impressive, isn't it?"

He saw her expression change. She had been scared before, but there had also been just a bit of defiance. Now that was gone.

"Don't hurt my brother," she said suddenly, glancing from the team back to him. She knew exactly what those men were building now. And she'd apparently realized that her life would end here in this lousy little room. The pleading had finally started, but surprisingly, it wasn't for herself.

"Just go to the Buy More and steal the card back. It's probably still in the store."

Dugan felt no need to respond, which only seemed to make her more desperate. She twisted in the chair, trying to meet his eyes.

"There's no reason to kill Chuck," she tried again. "He's just a guy who works at the Buy More."

She didn't know, Dugan realized. He shouldn't have been surprised really. Whatever her brother did, his work was probably a secret.

Dugan resisted the urge to tell her the truth. It might be fun to watch her face when she figured out that this wasn't an accident or some horrid coincidence. But telling her would only create more drama for him and besides she wasn't his target.

As far as Dugan was concerned this whole thing was her brother's fault. The blood would be on his hands. That kid had stuck his nose where it didn't belong and there were consequences to that. He was going to learn that lesson pretty quickly. Unfortunately for her, his sister was going to learn it too.

Dugan grabbed a roll of duct tape that had suddenly appeared. Roberts thought of everything. In the end he would tell the kid exactly where to find his sister (hell he wanted him to find her, to agonize over the surprise that Dugan had left for him). But still, there was no reason to spend the next few hours listening to this girl yell for help.

"Any last words?" He kneeled down in front of her as he tore a piece of tape from the roll.

"That card can't be worth all this."

Dugan actually smiled at that. He carefully placed the tape over her mouth then grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket.

"It's worth it." He folded the handkerchief carefully. "Trust me."

He slipped the blindfold over her eyes then patted her knee. This is how he should've started the day. He could've saved himself some pain if he'd merely remembered the rules in his own game. There was no mercy in his world. Mercy was for the guys who landed in jail. He was proud to say he'd never been caught, and this was why.

Dugan turned around. They'd get their memory card, but it was always better to walk away without witnesses. Besides it was time to set an example again, to remind his enemies that he didn't play nice. This girl would die and if Dugan was right about the brother, then the kid would die too trying to save her. Love after all, was the biggest weakness. It was a liability that few people recognized.

Dugan headed out the door then glanced back at the girl one last time.

"Don't worry," he said. "You won't see it coming."

* * *

There it was. Chuck couldn't believe it. He held his breath, trying not to inhale the foul smell of fried foods again. But as he felt around behind the dumpster, he was sure he had found the memory card, taped to the back, just as Jansen had said it would be.

The courier had dropped it off behind the fast food place the day before they'd caught him. It seemed like as good a place as any. He'd wanted to make sure he got his cash before handing it over, but he'd kept it close none the less.

Chuck gently peeled the tape back and finally he could see the little card that had caused so many problems. His team had passed within twenty feet of it the previous day. It was in a tiny case. It weighed nothing. He could easily crush it in the palm of his hand. And yet people would kill for it.

In the not too distant future someone would come to empty this dumpster. He wasn't sure if anyone else would have noticed the piece of duct tape that had held the memory card in place. But he was grateful he'd found it first.

Chuck closed his eyes and leaned against the back wall of the building. He thought about Sarah and Casey and what they would say if they knew he was here. He thought of all the people Dugan could kill if he ever got his hands on this card. And he thought about Ellie, locked away somewhere, scared and alone. How could he weigh one life against so many others? How could he live with himself after making that choice? And then finally Chuck knew the answer, because really, it had never been a choice at all.

Chuck put the memory card in his pocket and walked away.

* * *

"Thanks for the update," Hoyt was finishing up his call.

Sarah couldn't believe that Chuck had gone out on his own like this. She knew that he trusted her, but she also knew he was trying to protect her. And maybe the stakes had just been too high.

"Alright then." Hoyt finally turned back to them. "Bartowski's on his way to meet Dugan. He took the decoy."

"The what?" Casey glanced over at Sarah, but she just shook her head. For once she wasn't in on the secret.

"The decoy memory card." Hoyt saw their surprise. "What, you didn't think we'd let him have the real thing did you?"

"How did you know where the real memory card was?" Sarah asked. Even if Hoyt had seen Chuck's interrogation, there was no way he could have switched the cards that fast.

"Jansen told me last night." Hoyt moved around the table, quickly packing up his things. He grabbed a few files and slipped them into his laptop case. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by the tension that had filled the room. "We, of course, moved on that information right away, but we left a decoy card in case anyone came looking."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sarah was afraid she already knew the answer.

"And how in the hell did you know about Ellie?" Casey stepped in beside her. Together they stared Hoyt down. If he was intimidated, he didn't show it. He stopped what he was doing and his expression changed abruptly. Clearly he knew which side they were on, and it wasn't his.

"I think the bigger question is, why didn't either of you mention her earlier?"

Sarah didn't answer. Casey could have easily explained that he hadn't known earlier, but he stayed quiet too.

"You two went off on your own and nearly got yourselves killed and in the meantime you let Agent Bartowski have access to the courier."

"You don't know what Chuck will do-" Sarah tried.

"But I do know what is on that memory card." Hoyt locked his eyes on her. He must have known her part in all of this, because she was taking the brunt of his wrath. "It has plans for a weapon, Agent Walker."

"What kind of weapon?"

"A biological weapon that can kill thousands of people," Hoyt leaned in closer, wanting to be sure that they understood. "It can wipe out all living organisms within a mile radius without harming the surroundings. We can take out entire terrorist compounds and not damage the intel. But obviously, if someone like Dugan was to get his hands on it-"

He stopped and took a breath.

"You knew Bartowski was compromised."

He was still glaring at Sarah specifically. But Sarah wasn't thinking about the weapon, or the thousands of people it could kill. Something had suddenly clicked in her brain. She thought about everything that had happened since the previous evening, how she'd erased all of the footage of the kidnapping, how Chuck had never even mentioned Ellie while talking to Jansen, how she and Casey had supposedly slipped away without Hoyt knowing…

Sarah had been pretty careful not to bring up specifics when she and Chuck had been down here talking. And if Hoyt had been in Castle last night and seen the kidnapping on the cameras as it was happening, then he would have been rushing to help. So she was sure that he'd missed it. If that was true, then he certainly knew way more than he should have.

"How did you know about Ellie?" This time it was Sarah's turn to ask. Hoyt put his hands on his hips and shook his head slowly.

"I tell you that your fellow agent has basically committed an act of treason and that's what you want to know?"

"I'd like to know too," Casey finally spoke up again.

Hoyt reached for a stack of files, pulled one out, then slapped it on the table in front of them.

"As you might remember, we had several teams monitoring potential buyers last night to see if anyone would make a move."

Sarah opened the file and glanced through it. Immediately she saw the photo clipped to the top page. She was staring at a picture of Jacob Dugan.

"We had intel about one of Dugan's hideouts," Hoyt explained. "We were watching it last night."

"What?" Sarah's head shot up. Casey seemed equally surprised.

"You saw them take Ellie?"

"No," Hoyt said. "We saw them come back with her."

"Then why didn't you move in?" Sarah demanded. She thought about how scared Chuck was, about how scared Ellie must surely be. She was furious at Hoyt for putting them through this. "You'd talked to the courier, you knew where the memory card was-"

"Dugan didn't come back with them right away. We weren't about to scare him off."

"Is that the real reason?" Casey narrowed his eyes. Sarah could see the muscles in his arms twitching as his hands slowly curled into fists. It was taking everything he had not to go after Hoyt.

"Colonel." Hoyt said slowly. "You of all people should know that a team is only as strong as it's weakest link."

And that was when if finally hit Sarah.

"You came to evaluate us." Her tone was more than a little accusatory, but she didn't care. Already she was feeling sick to her stomach. "You wanted to see what Chuck would do."

"And us." Casey glanced over at Sarah. "This whole thing with the courier, suddenly ordering us not to talk to him. Once Dugan took Ellie, this guy decided to turn it into a test."

"I saw an opportunity." Hoyt was only too happy to confirm their suspicions.

"An opportunity at the expense of an innocent civilian."

"Hey, this is on Bartowski." Hoyt actually seemed offended by Casey's words. "We helped him become a spy, but he's the one who wanted to stay here. He knew he was risking more than just his own life."

"Chuck came into this job under special circumstances-" Sarah began, but Hoyt quickly cut her off.

"It's exactly those circumstances that I'm worried about. This man is in possession of one of our most valuable assets. Right now he's about to turn over this card, but next time it could be the Intersect. Like it or not, we need to find his weaknesses because the bad guys are finding them first."

"This is insane!" Sarah shook her head, turning away from Hoyt. She couldn't believe it had come to this.

"Listen, these people will use anything or anyone to compromise our agents." Hoyt was really getting into his lecture now. "I had to know if Bartowski could stand up to that. And guess what, he can't."

"Could you?" Sarah glared at him, but Hoyt chose not to answer.

"The sister is a liability," he said firmly, "Don't tell me you can't see that."

Of course she could see that. That had been the biggest conundrum since she had started this mission three years ago. Chuck valued his life here, his family and his friends. At first he had needed that stability to survive the upheaval of the Intersect. So Sarah and Casey had adjusted. They had helped him keep his secret and the life he had built in Burbank. Now he could stand on his own, but everyone had gotten so used to the situation that they'd forgotten the inherent danger in it.

"Fine, Chuck will do anything for Ellie," Casey's angry eyes were on full display. "She's a liability, always has been. But we're not in the business of getting civilians killed and that's what you're about to do."

"He's right," Sarah added quickly. "If you let Chuck walk in there with a decoy memory card you'll get both him and Ellie killed. And I can't believe that a man who seems so concerned about the Intersect, would want to be responsible for losing it."

Hoyt went over and closed his laptop, then slipped it into his bag. He didn't seem the least bit worried about the repercussions of his grand plan.

"We'll grab Dugan and his team at the drop spot. If Bartowski shows with that card, then we'll catch him in the act." He hit a few buttons on one of the terminals then headed for the stairs. "Bringing that card to Dugan is a crime. Everyone here knows that."

"You are taking a huge risk." Sarah started to follow him, but Casey pulled her back.

"You two are on lock down until further notice." Hoyt barely glanced over his shoulder as he marched up the stairs. "You are ordered to stay here and not to interfere with this mission in any way."

"Agent Hoyt, please don't do this." Sarah could hear various doors closing around them. Computer screens faded to black and "Detention mode" flashed in bright red letters.

"Sorry Agent Walker, it's already done."

* * *

Jeff and Lester were at it again. They'd spotted some poor woman over in small appliances and now they were moving in, one coming at her from each end of the aisle. It was like watching lions stalk their prey.

Morgan weighed his options. He could intervene, thus saving himself from the inevitable paperwork that came with harassment complaints. Or he could hope that the woman might just run to the registers and buy the blender she was clutching in order to escape these two idiots. He erred on the side of the sale and decided to wait it out. Paperwork be damned.

As he stood there, his thoughts turned back to Chuck. Something was definitely wrong with his friend. Chuck had been moody all day. He hadn't cracked a smile when Jeff had gotten his hand stuck in the vending machine. Lester's excited ramblings about the previous evening had been met with stony silence. And then there was everything he'd seen in Castle. Spy or no spy, Chuck was not a naturally violent or angry guy. Something was off.

The woman in small appliances made a sudden beeline for the registers. Morgan sighed with relief. Jeff and Lester shook their heads in defeat as all three of them headed back towards the Nerd Herd desk.

"We had her Jeffrey." Lester started to pat his friend on the back then thought better of it. Who knew the last time that shirt had been washed? "She would have made the perfect groupie."

"Fellas, I don't think you should be fishing in these waters," Morgan knew they wouldn't listen, but he had to try for his own sanity. "The Buy More, it's too big a pond. You need to start smaller."

"He's right," Jeff nodded towards the door. "We're not gonna get any play when guys like that are around."

Morgan glanced up. There was Devon making his way through the store. Jeff was correct, he and Lester were second string on the best day. With Awesome here, there was no hope whatsoever. Already the ladies had turned their gazes on the good doctor. Devon hardly seemed to notice as he made his way over.

"Hey guys, is Chuck around?"

"No," Jeff glared at him. "And that gave us the perfect opportunity until you came along. It was bad enough competing against a stud like Bartowski."

"Indeed." Devon played along, but he was clearly confused. No matter, Jeff and Lester were already leaving. A woman in DVDs had caught their attention.

"Those little dudes are weird." Devon raised an eyebrow as he watched them go.

"Indeed." Morgan nodded. Visions of paperwork began to dance in his head, but he shook it off and glanced back at Devon. "So is there something I can help you with?"

"Not really," he sighed. "I've been trying to call Ellie all day, but I can't get a hold of her."

"Have you been home yet?"

"It's my next stop."

"She's probably still sleeping," That's what he'd be doing if Big Mike hadn't called in sick. He had to smile though as he thought back to the previous evening. "That was a hell of a party last night."

Devon tried to match his smile, but Morgan could see just a flicker of concern cross his face.

"I've tried Chuck, but he isn't answering either."

"Well Chuck was just here," Morgan said. Devon was probably lucky he'd missed him. "I should warn you man, he is in a foul mood. Ever since this morning."

"Chuck, really?"

"Yeah I know." Morgan shrugged. "He was having a blast last night, then today, out of the blue, he's like Mr. Doom and Gloom. I don't know what happened."

"Well maybe Ellie knows what's bugging him. I'll ask," Devon leaned against the counter, his eyes darting around the store. "If I can ever find her."

Morgan nodded. But slowly the wheels in his head were starting to spin. It was already late afternoon. It did seem sort of weird that Ellie hadn't answered her phone yet. Sure she didn't often answer when Morgan called, but Devon should have been another story.

"Did Ellie go home with us last night?" Morgan could barely remember the ride back to his apartment. His only recollection was Devon begging him not to puke in the car.

"No, we left early, so Chuck said he'd take her."

That's right, Morgan's memory was coming back now. Ellie had given them a quick wave as they'd left and then gone right back to her friends.

"I went to work before they got home."

Devon suddenly grabbed for his phone. Already, Morgan could hear the tell-tale buzzing of a text message. Devon glanced down.

"It's the hospital. I gotta get back." He tapped the counter twice as he turned around. "If you hear from either one of them, tell them to call me."

Morgan didn't get a chance to respond as the Buy More phone began ringing behind him. His mind had started to race as all sorts of scenarios jumped around in his head. Still, old habits died hard and his hand reached for the phone.

"Buy More, this is Morgan."

"Morgan, thank god."

"Sarah?" Morgan was surprised to hear from her of all people. Obviously she was looking for Chuck and he wasn't in the mood to be an answering service. Instead he wanted to chase after Devon. They needed to talk.

"Morgan?"

He realized he'd missed whatever she'd been saying. It didn't matter. He got ready to hang up the phone.

"Chuck's not here."

"Yeah I know, I was looking for you" Sarah said. Suddenly she had his attention. He could hear Casey's voice in the background, then finally Sarah sighed. "Morgan, we need your help."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Five**

Morgan should have been excited. He'd been eager to get in on a spy mission, any spy mission. And helping Sarah and Casey break out of their super secret base should have been the highlight of his day, if not his life. But nothing about this day made sense. Chuck shouldn't have been so weird, Ellie shouldn't have been missing and Sarah and Casey certainly shouldn't have been calling him of all people. Morgan wasn't too proud to realize that a spy's request for his assistance was an act of total desperation.

"Come on Grimes! Hurry it up."

They had called Morgan back on his cell phone and now he had Casey yelling in his ear. Already he'd instructed Morgan to open his locker and take out a small backpack. Now Morgan was attempting to slip past Jeff and Lester. It turned out to be a relatively easy assignment as they were once again engaged in stalkerish behavior. Morgan forced himself to let that go as he exited the Buy More and headed for the Orange Orange.

"Casey, what's going on?" Morgan balanced his phone in the crook of his neck as he peered into the darkened froyo shop. "Orange Orange is closed for business."

"The keys are in the outer pocket of my bag."

Morgan found them and quickly entered the store. He was careful to close the door behind him. The last thing they needed right now was a yogurt-craving customer.

"Alright," Morgan hurried back towards the freezer. "Now what?"

"We got through the rest of the security measures," Casey explained. "But the main entrance is locked up tight. You're gonna have to take it out."

Morgan came to a sudden halt.

"What does that mean exactly?"

Surely they didn't expect him to bust through the massive, reinforced door that led into Castle. Unfortunately his family genes nudged his body type more towards elfin and less towards… well John Casey. He threw his shoulder into the door just to be sure. But the large bruise he gave himself coupled with the unmoving door confirmed his suspicions. The life of a real spy wasn't like all those films he'd seen. Little bodies didn't move big objects through sheer force of will.

"Ow, okay." He sucked in his breath as he rubbed his arm. "What kind of plan do you have here?"

"Grimes, it's time for the big boy games."

Morgan wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. He was still a training wheels kind of spy.

"There's a small, round, explosive device in the bag."

"Wait, what?" Morgan nearly dropped the bag he'd been holding. But then he realized what could happen if he did, so instead he clutched it to his chest, wondering what in the hell he had gotten himself into.

"Morgan, it's fine." Sarah had apparently stolen the phone. In the background he could hear Casey grumbling. The word "idiot" might have been thrown around for good measure. "Morgan, just take the device out of the bag."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important."

Morgan looked at the ceiling and offered up a quick prayer. Then he slowly, slowly reached into the bag. He could feel a flat, round device that fit easily into the palm of his hand.

"Okay." His voice might have raised an octave.

"Press it against the door."

Morgan started to follow orders, then stopped abruptly.

"Am I gonna lose any fingers?"

He was so close to beating Chuck's record in Duck Hunt. Sure his best friend had that whole Intersect thing going on, but Morgan still had a shot at least.

"I can give up a few of them, I just need to be able to hold a controller-"

"Morgan, this is for Chuck."

Of course, he should have known that. Morgan sighed, saying a silent apology to his ten lovely digits.

"In that case you can have them all."

"Morgan." Sarah was sounding a tad exasperated. "Just press the bomb against the door."

Morgan eyed the silver disc in his hand then finally did as he was told. There was a click as a tiny light on the disc started blinking. He immediately let go, fingers still intact.

"Um, Sarah."

"Go hide behind the counter. Now."

That was one instruction she didn't need to repeat. Morgan moved so fast he nearly careened into the yogurt dispenser. He dove for cover then waited, counting down in his head. He started at ten but when he got to zero nothing happened. He waited another twenty seconds, then thirty more. Nothing. Morgan was just about to stand up and check on the device when he heard a loud boom. A trail of smoke came out into the front of the shop.

"Sarah?" He lifted his head as alarms started shrieking. Suddenly a hand grabbed him by the upper arm and yanked him to his feet. He spun around and saw Casey.

"Nice job Grimes."

Sarah was there too. She hurried over to the cash register and punched a few numbers. The alarms stopped abruptly. He could hear a quiet hiss as the smoke was vented from the room.

"Thanks Morgan."

He backed up as she pulled a gun from some hidden compartment under the register. Casey was already armed. Sarah leaned over and slipped the gun into her ankle holster then came around the counter.

"Chuck can't be that far ahead of us."

"He left an hour ago," Morgan filled them in. "But guys, he is in a bad place. He went in to talk to this guy down there and seriously, I thought he might kill him."

"Wait, _you_ were down in Castle?" Casey glared at him.

"Just for a few minutes." Morgan held his hands up as Casey started towards him. "I was just helping Chuck."

Sarah didn't even glance at her partner as she gently pulled him back. Her gaze had fallen squarely on Morgan.

"Did Chuck seem…"

"What, crazy?" Morgan had no problem answering that. "Yeah, pretty much. Something is definitely wrong with him."

Neither Casey nor Sarah seemed the least bit surprised by this. And neither seemed ready with an explanation.

"Guys, what's going on?"

Morgan's friend was in trouble and he'd just risked his beloved (though likely impossible to attain) Duck Hunt record. It was about time they let him in on the secret. But Sarah couldn't quite meet his eye and he felt his stomach drop as she quickly pushed past him. Whatever had happened, it was bad.

"Sarah, wait." He cut her off before she could get to the door, forcing her to stop. Normally he wouldn't stand toe to toe with Sarah Walker, but this was about the people he loved. "I need to know."

"Grimes-" Casey growled a warning, but Morgan wasn't about to back down.

"Where's Ellie?"

The question clearly caught them off guard, but their reaction wasn't one of confusion. Morgan could see that he'd hit a nerve and instantly his worst fears were confirmed.

"Something happened to her, didn't it?"

Sarah shifted her weight. He'd never seen her so unsure of herself. She obviously had no idea how to respond. It didn't matter, their expressions told Morgan everything he needed to know. He slumped against the counter, feeling as though he'd been punched in the stomach.

"Did Chuck say something to you?" Sarah finally broke the silence.

"He didn't have to." Morgan shook his head. "What Chuck did to that guy down there, there are only a few people he'd do that for." He looked over at Sarah. "And Ellie's the only one of us who's missing."

His utter heartbreak must have been evident, because Sarah reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We're going to help Chuck get her back."

"Let me come." He was terrified to even offer, but he had to. "They're my family."

"Chuck would want you safe."

"Sarah-"

"There's no way, Morgan." Her voice was gentle, but she'd clearly shifted back into spy mode. Already she was heading for the exit.

"Fine." Morgan called after her. "Then promise me that nothing will happen to them."

He needed to hear her say it, to know that this wasn't just another spy mission to her. The entrance bell rang as Sarah paused, halfway out the door. She was finally able to look him in the eye.

"Morgan, I promise."

And then she was gone. Casey followed her, seemingly confident in whatever plan they'd hatched up.

"Don't worry Grimes." He gave Morgan a quick nod as he left. "We got this."

* * *

"It's my turn to drive."

Sarah's keys were already out. Casey groaned as she raced ahead of him, making a quick turn towards her Porsche. It was parked near the back of the lot, so as to be a little discreet when she showed up for her eight dollar an hour job.

"You know where we're going?"

Casey didn't bother to open the door. The top was down and it was just as easy to jump over the side. Sarah followed suit. As she slid into the driver's seat she pulled out her iPhone, hit a button then tossed it to him.

"I put a tap on all calls going into the Buy More. This one was recorded two hours ago."

The phone was on speaker and he quickly raised the volume as Sarah started the car.

"Nerd Herd desk, this is Chuck."

"Chuck!" That was definitely Ellie. "Chuck, oh my god, are you okay?"

Suddenly Dugan was on the line and it went on from there. Casey immediately picked up the address of the meet. Sarah had heard all of this back in Castle while waiting for Morgan. She was already peeling out of the parking lot, the Porsche picking up speed as they headed towards the freeway.

Casey continued to listen to the rest of the call. It was the first time he had heard Dugan's voice. He closed his eyes, concentrating on Dugan's threats. The man was a bully. He seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting Chuck.

"Casey." Sarah's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What we're about to do is completely illegal."

"According to Hoyt," Casey snorted. He was just below Dugan on Casey's list of people he wanted to hurt-_badly._

"But he's right, Chuck took that card." It clearly pained her to admit it. Chuck's decisions, while occasionally unorthodox, generally fell in line with the rules of the job. But this one went against everything they had taught him. "If we try to help him we're going down too."

"What's your point?" Casey was suddenly confused. Surely she wasn't bailing out now.

"My point is, I'll understand if you don't want any part in it." Sarah stole a glance at him. "I can go in alone."

Casey almost smiled at that.

"Just drive faster, Walker."

He wasn't about to miss out on this fight. This was no ordinary mission and Dugan was no ordinary target. They were going against orders, having enlisted a civilian to break them out, all because this guy had picked on one of their own. Everything about this was personal. The whole mess with the card could be sorted out later.

Casey rewound the call then played it again. If he had his way, Dugan wouldn't make it to morning.

* * *

Chuck glanced up in amazement. It had taken him twenty minutes to sneak past port security, but now here he was, standing in front of a huge cargo ship. This was a hell of a place to meet. Sarah had mentioned something about Dugan's brother being in shipping and it seemed only natural that he might use that connection to get weapons in and out of the country. Still Chuck had never imagined that the trade would go down here. This was a very big ship and Chuck suddenly felt very much alone.

To be sure, he had gone back and forth on his decision to come by himself. But this was his fight and he knew without a doubt that if Dugan saw anyone else then he would kill Ellie. Besides Chuck wasn't going to risk two more people he cared about. And so here he was, a gun stuck in his waistband, slowly marching up a gangway with no back up to speak of.

Much of the cargo had been emptied from the ship. A few of the huge containers sat near the bow, but otherwise the deck was clear and the entire place was eerily quiet. Chuck glanced around. Towards the back of the ship he saw something akin to an apartment building. It reached six stories off of the deck and was dotted with small round windows that looked out on all sides. He imagined that's where the crew of the ship would have lived. It was probably where Dugan's team was now.

As if on cue Dugan came into view, walking down an outer hallway to one side of the building. His face was red, and a large gash came down his forehead to the bridge of his nose. His right cheek was a little puffy and there was a speck of dried blood next to his lip. Clearly he'd been in a fight since their last meeting. Chuck only wished that Dugan's assailant had killed him. Too bad.

Four men followed Dugan and Chuck recognized them as the group from the Buy More. Scarface seemed as if he might be ill, but the rest were alert and ready for action. The red headed kid had a messenger bag slung over one shoulder. Chuck couldn't help but think that he looked out of place and just a little bit ridiculous. The kid sneered at Chuck as if he could read his mind.

"I have your memory card," Chuck called out as they approached.

The men surrounding Dugan were armed, though none of the guns were pointed at Chuck, at least not yet. And now three more men had appeared on the roof of the building. Chuck wondered just how large Dugan's team really was.

"I'd like to see it, Mr. Bartowski." Dugan nodded towards the red headed kid. "Scotty, care to do the honors?"

Scotty pulled a laptop out of his bag. Next to him on the deck was a huge steel spool like structure where the ropes attached from the dock. Scotty placed the laptop there, using it as a table. Chuck could hear the quiet ding as the laptop booted up.

"Of course we'll need to check the memory card." Dugan smiled. "I'm sure you understand."

"It's encrypted." Chuck had just made that up, but it certainly sounded good. Dugan glanced over at Scotty.

"Will that be a problem?"

Scotty merely shrugged.

"It might take some time, but I can break it."

Great, Chuck thought. Dugan apparently had no qualms about standing here all night. The security patrolling the port didn't seem to frighten him one bit.

"We're not doing anything until I see my sister."

Chuck was no longer scared, just determined. The plan was in place. He could see it all playing out in his head and that certainty calmed him.

"We'll release her when I get my memory card."

"Then tell me where she is." Chuck knew she had to be close. Dugan couldn't honestly believe that Chuck would just give up the memory card without getting her back.

"She's nearby," Dugan assured him. He was completely relaxed as if this was just another business transaction. "Once we verify that the card is real, I'll be happy to tell you where you can find her."

"Fine, let's get this over with." Chuck started towards the laptop. Three of the men lifted their guns immediately. Chuck stopped a few feet away then raised his hands.

"My guys just want to check you for weapons." Dugan explained. "They like to be thorough."

Chuck nodded as two of the men approached cautiously. One held a gun on Chuck while the other moved in to pat him down.

Chuck could already feel the flash coming on. He was suddenly energized, his hands and feet tingling. Everything began to move in slow motion. The two men seemed to realize what was happening, they'd been through this once before. But still they weren't fast enough.

Chuck reached out and grabbed one of the guys by his jacket. He swung him around, smashing him into the giant steel spool. The second man went down with a single kick. And then there was Scotty, creepy, ginger haired Scotty, who'd made the mistake of shooting at his sister. Chuck reached for the laptop. He almost smiled as he brought it down on Scotty's head. He truly hated that kid.

Bang!

Dugan ducked as Scarface fired off a round in their general direction. Chuck held up the shattered laptop, hoping that it might shield him. Either the bullet missed or the laptop did its job, because Chuck was still moving. In one quick motion he reached back and pulled the gun from his waistband then grabbed Dugan around the neck.

"Wait!" Dugan yelled, holding out his hands to Scarface. "Wait, you idiot, don't shoot."

Chuck pressed his own gun into Dugan's cheek. For the first time that day the dynamic had shifted. He was finally in control of the situation. And no one was leaving this ship until he found Ellie.

"Alright then," Chuck felt oddly calm as he glared at Scarface. "You can bring me my sister now."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Six**

Casey had been on enough of these missions to know exactly how this one would go down. Hoyt hadn't had the time to assemble a full tactical team. They'd only learned about the meet a short while ago. It was one thing to have a few agents watching the ship, it was another to have a team ready to bust an entire terrorist operation. Still Hoyt had more agents than they did. Right now, it was just Sarah and Casey against the forces of both Dugan and Hoyt.

Thankfully he and Sarah had made their way onto the ship without being noticed. The guards had been taken out earlier, a sure sign that Hoyt's people were already here. They were probably still setting up their positions.

"There's Chuck!" Sarah kept her voice low as she pointed to three figures on the other side of the deck. It appeared that Chuck had gotten the upper hand in the negotiations, but that probably wouldn't last. There were a lot of factors at play now.

"Hoyt hasn't been here long," Casey whispered. He pulled Sarah down behind an old locker.

"How do you know?"

"If they'd gotten here earlier, this would be done by now."

Casey grabbed a small pair of binoculars from his jacket, then gave the entire ship a once over. He knew where Hoyt would place his men. This kind of thing was second nature by now. And he knew a few things about the bad guys as well.

"Dugan's gonna keep Ellie close, she's his bargaining chip." Casey gestured towards the building at the stern. "Start checking the crew cabins."

"What about you?" Sarah slid her earpiece in. Casey pocketed his binoculars then did the same. Now they could hear each other over the radio.

"I'm going to make sure Hoyt doesn't get us all killed."

"Okay then." Sarah quickly checked her weapon. She was ready to go. "Just keep Chuck alive until I get back."

Casey nodded then watched as Sarah slipped away, making a quick dash through the shadows back towards the building. He waited until she reached the door then turned and headed for the bow.

The two trucking containers at the front of the ship provided the perfect vantage point for a sniper. And so Casey was not at all surprised when he climbed up and found an agent laying there, rifle at ready. Casey smiled. Hoyt was not only an ass but he was completely predictable. His man was out cold before he even got the chance to roll over.

"Casey?"

He could hear Sarah's voice.

"We're good." He slid into the sniper's position. "Just find Ellie."

Casey took the man's radio and shoved it into his other ear. Now he could listen in on Hoyt's team too.

"You ready at the twelve o clock?"

That was definitely Hoyt. No one answered and Casey realized that he was the guy they were all waiting on. He yanked the mic from the sniper's jacket then hit the button.

"Ready," he mumbled.

He peered through the scope on the rifle. Chuck was still holding a gun on Dugan and he looked pretty calm all things considered. Nice Bartowski, Casey thought. At least the kid had learned something from them.

"We need Dugan alive." Hoyt was saying. "Can anyone hear what the hell is going on over there?"

"Yeah." It was a woman's voice now. "Bartowski's asking about his sister. He won't make the trade until they release her."

"Alright, we'll give them a minute to see how this plays out. We need to catch him with the card."

"What about the sister?" the woman asked. "I've got an agent standing by-"

"Forget it," Hoyt cut her off abruptly. "We've got enough trouble up here. That girl's on her own for now."

* * *

Sarah was trying not to think about Chuck. She was trying and she was failing… miserably.

She wanted more than anything to be out there with him, backing him up. That had been her place for three long years. It didn't seem like the best time to give that job up. But he had come here for one reason, to save his sister, and Sarah knew that Ellie had to be her priority. Dugan would just as soon kill her, Hoyt didn't seem to care, and Chuck had his hands full outside on the deck. Sarah might be her last hope. And the sooner she found Ellie, the sooner this whole nightmare would be over.

Sarah had already swept through the first floor and now she was making her way to the next. She climbed the stairs slowly, her gun out, her finger hovering over the trigger. Surely Dugan had left some men here. And if Hoyt had any last shred of decency, then perhaps he had sent an agent in too. She'd have to be ready for anything.

Sarah held her breath as she exited the stairwell. The door let out a high-pitched squeal and she instantly froze. She expected footsteps or yelling, someone must have heard her. But happily, this floor seemed deserted. Her pace quickened as she moved down the hallway, checking each room. She glanced in closets and peered under beds. There was no sign of Ellie.

And then-bang! A bullet whizzed by her head. She dove for the floor as it hit the wall then ricocheted through the hallway. There were two more shots in quick succession as Sarah scrambled for cover in one of the rooms.

Crap, the last thing she needed was to get pinned down in here. She leaned out the doorway, then ducked as another shot rang out. It was impossible to tell how many shooters were out there. It might be one, it might be ten. It didn't matter. Sarah Walker would not retreat. Whether they knew it or not, there were two Bartowskis depending on her. One way or another, she was getting back to that stairwell.

"Casey!" She crouched down, gun at ready.

"They're reporting gunfire in the building," he whispered. Obviously Casey was listening in on Hoyt's radio. "Is that you?"

"Somebody's firing on me, but I can't tell which side he's on."

A man's head suddenly popped out around the corner and she caught sight of the long scar running down his face. She thought she recognized him from the Buy More footage, but she couldn't be sure.

"It's Dugan's guy." Casey seemed so certain. She could only hope he was right. "Walker, take him!"

Sarah pulled the trigger. For a split second she thought she had missed but then she heard the familiar thud of a body hitting the ground. She took a breath and waited to see if he moved.

"Walker?"

"I got him." She grabbed the gun that the man had dropped then quickly looked him over. He definitely wasn't one of Hoyt's guys. Sarah sighed with relief.

Bang! Sarah threw herself to the ground as another man fired. She rolled over and took her shot, then ran for the stairwell. She still had four more floors to check and Sarah was determined to search them all. Either she would find Ellie or she would die trying.

* * *

The shooting was getting louder now.

Ellie tried to focus on her breathing. She was fine and surely the bullets wouldn't come through the walls. But sitting there unable to move, she was having a hard time playing the optimist. Maybe all the gunfire meant the police had come. But even that could end in disaster.

The tape over her mouth prevented her from yelling. So she couldn't warn whoever might be out there. If someone broke through that door, then both she and her rescuer would certainly die.

Dugan wasn't just smart, he was evil as well. He'd made her watch as his men built the very thing that would kill her. And the bomb they'd created by the door seemed massive indeed. She could no longer see it thanks to the blindfold, but the mental picture she'd taken still gave her the chills. All those little red blocks and wiring and a single red light that had yet to turn on…

And now, on top of everything, there was a shoot out nearby. If it was the police then Chuck was probably protected. He was likely back in his apartment, scared out of his mind. But at least he was safe. He had Devon and Morgan and Sarah. Her brother would be okay. And maybe just maybe, she'd make it out of here too, if only they could find a way through that door. Ellie wasn't really one to pray, but she silently wished to return to her family. All she wanted to do was go home.

Suddenly the shooting stopped. For a moment it was quiet and then she heard a beeping noise. It sounded like one of those heart monitors, slow and steady. Ellie didn't need to see it. She knew that the little red light was blinking. Someone had armed the bomb. At any moment that door would open. The bomb would be triggered and her life would be over.

Ellie Bartowski took a deep breath. This was it. This was how she was going to die.

* * *

An eternity seemed to have passed and Chuck had no idea how long they'd been standing there.

At some point Scarface had returned to the building. With any luck he'd gone to retrieve Ellie. And for just a second, Chuck could still imagine that his plan would work. He'd trade Dugan for Ellie and they'd both make a run for it. He was prepared to use the gun if need be. And besides, they were only steps away from the edge of the deck. He and Ellie could jump into the harbor if they had to. It was a long way down, but they'd be okay. They were strong swimmers, their dad had made sure of it. And if none of that worked, he'd find other options.

But now the gunfire had started in the building behind them. And all of Chuck's plans were gone just like that, replaced by a sudden sense of dread.

"What was that?" He tried to breathe. For all he knew it was an execution. It was something he couldn't even think about. He still had one arm around Dugan's neck and he slowly started to squeeze. "What the hell was that?"

"You said you came alone." Dugan gasped.

"I did."

Chuck could hear something beeping. Around Dugan's wrist was a black watch, similar to the one Chuck was wearing. But this one had a blinking red light. The digital read out, normally reserved for the time, was counting backwards.

"Your agents got too close." Dugan tried to free himself, but Chuck only tightened his grip. "Their radio frequency triggered the countdown on the bomb-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Chuck demanded, his heart starting to race. How had a bomb suddenly entered the picture? The rules were changing faster than he could anticipate.

"I kept my promise," Chuck tried to ignore another burst of gunfire. "I came alone!"

"Obviously not." Scotty was slowly getting to his feet. Two more men had come running from the building. Chuck's eyes darted around. In another few moments he would be under siege.

"Mr. Bartowski, believe me when I say this," Dugan had stopped struggling. "Your sister has about twenty minutes to live."

"Bring her out now!" Chuck pressed the gun into Dugan's skin. Everything was unraveling. He could feel the desperation taking hold of him. It was like a vice that got tighter and tighter as the seconds ticked by.

"If you don't, I swear to god I will kill you."

Chuck wanted to believe he was bluffing. But standing there on that deck, listening to the quiet beeping of the watch, he couldn't be completely sure.

"A deal's a deal," Dugan said coolly.

"You can have your card!" Chuck's finger was right on the trigger. Dugan didn't even blink. "Just tell me!"

Bang!

There was a sharp clap behind them and Scotty went down. The other men were already diving for cover.

Chuck froze and in that instant Dugan wrestled free, knocking the gun from his hand. He spun and punched Chuck in the face then landed another shot to his kidney. But Chuck barely flinched. For once he had no need for the Intersect. Adrenaline surged through his body as he suddenly lunged at Dugan. This was the man who had threatened his friends and kidnapped his sister. And Chuck was done playing games.

"Tell me where she is!"

He landed hard on top of Dugan and slammed the man's head into the deck. Dugan groaned then managed to roll out from under him. But Chuck chased him down, shoving him face first into the wall. Dugan turned and Chuck caught him in the ribs with a sidekick. He landed several more blows and for a moment he thought this might really be it, that he might actually kill Jacob Dugan.

And then another shot rang out. Dugan was stumbling towards him now, his shirt red with blood. Chuck leapt back as the man who had caused all this trouble suddenly fell dead at his feet.

And that's when all hell broke loose.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Well I'm getting a little slower with the updates as we head into the holidays. But I promise not to leave you hanging for seven weeks like NBC :) I'm also trying shorter chapters just to give people time to catch up. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story. And of course, I always love to hear what you think, so leave a review if you get the chance. Thanks guys!_

* * *

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Seven**

The radio had gone wild. People were shouting over each other. Some were yelling about the bomb, others were reporting their positions. But Casey could hear Hoyt screaming above them all.

"Who the hell fired those shots?"

Casey wasn't about to admit to it. But already this whole thing had dragged on too long. Bartowski was out there alone with a murderer. Sarah was under attack in the building. And now with a bomb thrown into the mix, the situation was spiraling out of control. This was Casey's chance to step into the fray. Taking out Dugan had just been a bonus.

But now Dugan's other men, the ones on the roof of the building, had come to life. A full on battle was about to begin.

"Move in!" Hoyt was yelling. "Secure Bartowski, no matter what!"

A small sea of black jackets appeared out of nowhere as Hoyt's team went on the offensive. Shots were being taken in all directions and Chuck was in trouble down on the deck. Casey dropped the rifle, jumped from the container and took off running.

"Casey!" Sarah's voice came over the radio. She sounded short of breath as if she'd been fighting. "Casey, I think we found Ellie. Fourth floor, starboard side!"

"Roger that!" Casey could see Chuck crouched behind the huge steel spool. "Both of you get the hell out! There's a bomb up there."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah replied. "We're working on that."

Her words barely registered. Casey was too busy trying not to get killed. He pulled out his gun and shot one of the men who'd come from the building. The other had wisely vaulted over the rail. Casey heard a loud splash as he slid in next to Chuck.

"Casey!" Chuck seemed both surprised and horrified. "What's going on? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Trying to save your ass." Casey swiveled, aiming his gun at a guy on the roof. He fired. But already his target had ducked out of view. Casey growled in disgust.

"Hoyt's got a team here."

"What?" Chuck's head snapped around and Casey could see the terror on his face. This was the kid who had nearly killed Jacob Dugan, but now he was simply a scared little brother. "What? How did they find me?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter!" Chuck grabbed Casey's arm in a talon like grip. "Casey, there's a bomb. People are shooting this boat into pieces and I have no clue where Ellie is!"

Casey nodded at the building then took another shot at the guy on the roof. This time he didn't miss.

"Walker's got her. Fourth floor, starboard side."

Chuck's eyes suddenly brightened. Casey took out his earpiece, the one that connected him to Sarah, and handed it over to Chuck.

"In case you get lost."

"Casey-"

"Go," Casey had to yell over another burst of gunfire. "I got this."

"Thank you." Chuck actually managed to smile. "Seriously-"

"Go!"

Chuck didn't need to be told again. He took off running.

* * *

The hallway was littered with bodies and Chuck nearly tripped as he leapt over each of them. He was still armed, but the gun had already returned to his waistband. He was as good as dead if a bad guy appeared. But none of that mattered. Chuck had ceased to care about his own safety. He just wanted to see his sister.

"Ellie!"

She was nowhere to be found. But there was Sarah, standing in the hallway beside three other agents. The two men and one woman wore heavy body armor and helmets with visors that fell over their faces. One of them lifted his weapon as Chuck raced towards them.

"No, wait!" Sarah threw herself in front of the agent. "Wait, he's with us."

"Where is she?" Chuck was out of breath by this point. "Where is she? We have to get out of here!"

"He's right." The youngest agent spoke up quickly. He hadn't been on the job long and he was clearly rattled. "We need to evacuate now."

"Maybe we could rig something up on the roof," Sarah turned to face the trio again. Chuck had apparently interrupted their discussion and now she was continuing just where they'd left off. "Then we could drop down through the window."

"Unless you've got a harness and rope stashed in your jacket…" The older agent shook his head. Chuck was trying desperately to follow along. "It's not like you have time to run back to your car."

"What about cutting through a wall?"

"No, we can't risk any sparks."

This was insane. Chuck had no idea what any of them were talking about. But aside from the pale kid, they all seemed way too calm. Had they missed the part about the bomb? Did they not understand what was happening here? Chuck reached for Sarah's hand and pulled her aside.

"Sarah, where is she?"

"Chuck, wait-"

"Just tell me." He looked Sarah straight in the eye. He didn't know where she'd come from or how the team had found him out here on the ship. But right now, he needed the truth from her, he needed to know just how bad this really was.

"Please Sarah."

Sarah hesitated then finally gestured towards a door a few feet down the hallway.

"Chuck," Sarah dropped her voice to just above a whisper. "We're pretty sure that Ellie's in there. But the bomb's in there too."

"What?"

"Right now it's on a countdown. But if we knock down that door we'll trigger it."

"No." This couldn't be happening. "No, no."

There was a small digital clock attached to the door, its numbers counting backwards. A series of wires ran from that clock under the doorway. Presumably they were attached to a bomb on the other side. Dugan had left this specifically for him to see. It was one last twist of the knife. They had less than ten minutes.

"Can you flash on it?"

Chuck stared at the timer, willing himself to see something. But nothing happened. Maybe his emotions were getting the better of him, or maybe the bomb couldn't be disarmed from this side. Either way, the Intersect was failing him badly.

"Sarah, what do we do?"

"Agent Price has bomb squad training, Chuck." She nodded towards the older agent she had been talking to. "He might be able to stop the countdown. And there's a sensor on the door lock, but if I can get around it, then we should be able to get inside."

Chuck nodded, trying to process all of this new information. Ten minutes, that was it, ten minutes. But they could do this. They just needed to work together.

"Alright people, we've got nine and a half minutes!" Price took a bag of gear from the young agent beside him. "Walker can stay, but I want everyone else out of here."

"Wait, what?" Chuck looked from Price to Sarah. The two other agents moved in closer, ready to escort him out. "We can't leave."

"Listen son," Price obviously wasn't used to people questioning his authority. "We don't even know if anyone's in there. I'm not risking my people-"

"I am not leaving."

"I'm not asking you," Price glared at him. "I'm telling you."

"No way."

"Chuck-"

"Fine."

Chuck had heard enough. Nine minutes.

He turned and ran.

* * *

The shooting had stopped. Now all Chuck could hear was the yelling. The people on the deck far below him were scrambling to evacuate. No one knew just how big the bomb actually was. On top of that, the ship was likely filled with fuel. The explosion might blow a hole in the building or it could sink the ship entirely. For Chuck it didn't matter. He couldn't live with either of those outcomes.

"Chuck?" He could hear Sarah calling to him on the radio. She had seen him turn the corner, though she hadn't seen what he'd done next. But Sarah was smart and she'd probably guessed by now. "Please be careful."

"Just get that door open."

Chuck was working very hard at not looking down. All of the rooms he'd run past had been locked. But he'd found the small round window near the end of the hallway. He'd climbed out quickly, knowing that each of the crew quarters must've had a window of its own. If he could just get to the room Ellie was in…

There was very little to hold on to as he shimmied along the outside of the building. Four stories below he heard a final gunshot. Far below that he heard the water lapping against the side of the ship. That would be a very, very long fall but he swiftly pushed that thought from his mind. He figured that Ellie was about five rooms down from where he was perched. This was it, he was so close now.

At each floor level there was a tiny lip, a protuberance of about two inches that Chuck was currently balancing on. As he moved along, he grabbed the next window frame. The tips of his fingers were turning white as he held on for dear life. And finally he was there. He peered down through the window and caught a quick glimpse of Ellie off to one side.

Chuck wasted no time. With one hand he grabbed the windowsill, trying not to breathe for fear that he'd slip. Then he carefully reached for his gun, leaned back as much as he dared to, and smashed it through the window. The remaining glass tore at his clothes as he climbed into the room.

Ellie was over in the corner. As soon as he saw her, Chuck wanted Dugan to die all over again. He'd be sure to make it more painful the second time around. Chuck and his team had been in many situations like this before. But for Ellie it was different and Chuck knew she must have been terrified.

He rushed over to her, but the minute he touched her arm she jumped, nearly knocking over the chair she was tied to.

"Ellie it's okay." Chuck reached out to steady her and realized she was shaking. He wondered how long she'd been sitting there, waiting for someone to find her. He only wished that he had gotten here sooner.

"El?" Chuck slid off the blindfold, brushing her hair out of her face. "El, it's okay, it's me. I got you."

He gently peeled the tape from her mouth.

"Chuck?" It took her a moment to find her voice. Her eyes were still adjusting to the bright lights in the room and she blinked a few times before she finally seemed to recognize him. "Chuck, how did you get in here?"

"Through the window."

Ellie glanced over at the broken glass and Chuck could see her confusion. But it would take him far too long to explain.

"Are you okay?" He hurried to untie her hands. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

He was almost scared to hear her answer, but then she shook her head. As soon as she was free of the chair he pulled her to her feet, hugging her tightly.

"I am so, so sorry, Ellie." He couldn't believe it had only been a day since he'd seen her. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded as he finally let go. There were streaks of dirt on her face and the outfit she'd so carefully chosen the day before was filthy and rumpled. She was barefoot, scared and obviously exhausted. But she was alive and apparently unharmed.

"You're okay." Chuck said it more for himself than for her. The whole thing was starting to hit him now. He'd been promising himself that he'd find her, but somewhere in the darkest corners of his mind, he had wondered if he might be too late.

"You're fine," he said it again for good measure.

"I am fine."

Slowly but surely, he could see her coming out of her daze. The blank expression was gone and the color had started to return to her cheeks. Obviously she could sense his distress, and she was back to being his big sister. She took one of his hands and gave it a squeeze.

"Chuck, I'm fine, I swear."

Chuck nodded, suppressing the urge to hug her again. Now they just had to get out of here. But Ellie wasn't focused on that part yet. She just stood there staring at him, her eyes shiny, as if she might cry.

"Chuck, I can't believe you came here."

"Yeah, well, that's what brothers do, right?"

"Not really," she almost laughed. Her relief was evident. Chuck didn't dare tell her about the countdown happening right outside. She clearly thought this whole thing was over. Someone had come to get her and now it was just a matter of time before they went home.

"Normal brothers call the police," she reminded him. "They don't show up in the middle of gun battles."

"Well I do." Chuck couldn't help but smile. But then he glanced down and noticed the shackles that tethered her ankle to the wall. He cursed Dugan under his breath, wishing to kill him a third time. The man had never intended to return Ellie. He'd clearly planned to get the card then set off the timer, leaving Chuck to die while attempting a rescue.

"Alright." Chuck knew he had to hurry. "Let's get you out of here."

He took a step back and stomped on the pipe that the shackles were attached to. He kicked it once, twice, then three times. It bent just a bit, but he realized it wasn't going to break. Ellie watched him carefully as he whirled around, his eyes darting across the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to pick the lock on those things."

"Chuck, are you guys okay?"

He'd almost forgotten about Sarah, but he was extremely thankful that she was still with him. She would know what to do now. This was just another day at the office for her.

"I've run into a little problem." Chuck tried to whisper, but Ellie was on to him.

"Who are you talking to?"

The truth wouldn't do him any good just now. It would only lead to questions and they didn't have the time. He tapped his ear, indicating the radio.

"The police," he said finally. "They're right outside."

"Chuck, they can't come through that door." Ellie struggled to get as close to him as possible. She wanted to make sure she conveyed this point. "That bomb will explode if they knock it down."

"Chuck?" He could hear Sarah, and then Price muttering obscenities behind her. Chuck put a little more distance between Ellie and himself, then turned towards the door.

"Dugan chained her to the wall." He spoke quietly, but there was no hiding the urgency in his voice. "I can't get her out."

"Forget about that," Sarah was whispering now too. "Just look at the bomb. You need to flash on it-now."

Chuck took a deep breath, glanced back at Ellie then shifted all of his attention onto the bomb. He'd been so focused on his sister that it had hardly registered when he'd first come in. But now as he examined it, he realized why Dugan had been paid the big money. That man and his team were experts at their craft. The bomb was sizable and extremely dangerous, but it had been assembled like a work of art, perfectly displayed in front of the door.

Chuck's eyes traveled over every piece of it, the little red sticks of explosives, the wiring, the switches. Unfortunately, none of it meant a thing to him.

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Ellie was becoming more and more anxious. "Just tell the police to come through the window."

If only it was that simple. Time was running out and even if somebody made it, those shackles wouldn't be easy to cut through. This was one scenario no one had considered.

He got a little closer to the bomb then reached out to touch it. Maybe that would trigger some kind of flash… but it didn't.

"Sarah!" His fingers were beginning to shake and he quickly clenched them into a fist. "Nothing's happening."

"Chuck, listen to me." He knew she was trying to remain calm, but now she was failing miserably. "I'm coming to get you guys."

"No!" He couldn't risk her too. Not Sarah… Besides, there was nothing she could do for them here. They simply didn't have the tools to cut Ellie free.

"Chuck-"

"No, I can do this." He tried to sound confident. "You should go. I want you to go."

"We both know that's not happening."

"Bartowski!" Price suddenly yelled. Chuck winced as his voice was doubly amplified through the radio. "Get out now!"

Don't say it, Chuck thought. Please don't say it. It would only make things worse. But then he heard Price's voice again, loud and clear as he shouted through the wall.

"This thing's down to three minutes!"

Chuck's heart sank. There was no way she had missed that. Ellie was quiet for a long moment and then finally…

"Three minutes?"

He turned around just in time to watch the true horror of the situation wash over her. She'd seemed so hopeful a minute ago and now he could actually see the blood draining from her face as reality sunk in.

"Is that thing counting down?" Ellie glanced over at the bomb, then back to him. "Three minutes, that's like-that's nothing."

Chuck didn't know how to tell her this, but those three minutes, that space of time that was left in the countdown, that wasn't nothing. At this point it was probably the rest of their lives.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update, these holidays are keeping me busy. No Chuck on NBC this week, but at least our favorite nerd and his crew can still be found here._

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* * *

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**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Eight**

"Ellie."

The shock had hit her all at once. There was no emotion, no sound, no anything. It was as if Chuck had lost her all over again. He crossed the room in a few steps then grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to block her view of the bomb.

"El, I need you to not freak out."

She finally tore her gaze from those little red blocks. But already her eyes were filling with tears.

"There are people outside," Chuck reminded her. "The best people, and they will find a way through that door."

But Ellie merely shook her head as the tears began to spill down her cheeks. Her expression was a mixture of fear and utter sadness. They'd made it this far, but she seemed convinced that their luck had run out.

"Chuck, you need to go." She started to push him back towards the window. "You need to go now!"

It was the same request he'd just made of Sarah. And he had exactly the same response that she'd given him. You didn't abandon the people you cared about.

"We'll be fine," he tried again to get through to her. "We're gonna get out of here."

But she had stopped listening. He could actually see her mind switching gears. Ellie was a planner and even in the most chaotic situations she could always focus on a single objective. And her objective now was painfully obvious. She was determined to protect him in any way that she could.

"Just go and tell Dad I love him, okay?" Her voice wavered and Chuck's heart broke just a little bit more. She'd completely given up on saving herself. "And tell Devon I'm sorry, because this really sucks."

He sure as hell wasn't going to stand here as she said her goodbyes. He quickly reached into his pocket, digging past the loose change. He suddenly remembered the paperclips he kept on him. He'd needed them for the Buy More install reports. He pulled one out, hoping he could put it to a much better use.

"Chuck," Ellie kneeled beside him as he struggled to pick the lock on the shackles. "You have to be the one to tell Devon what happened. The man cannot handle bad news. "

Chuck forced himself to ignore her as he fiddled with the paperclip. This had always looked so easy on TV. He felt something move, then snap. For a second he thought it had worked, but then he realized his mistake. The paperclip had broken inside the lock.

"Two minutes!"

Chuck grimaced as Price yelled through the wall again. Ellie's eyes had widened considerably and he could see her growing more and more desperate. She was ready to die in here, but she wasn't going to let him die too.

"Okay, Chuck, listen." She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him closer. "Listen to me, because I am older and I am pulling rank here."

"Ellie, I am not leaving."

"I love you. You're my little brother and I can't let you die in here."

"I'm not going."

"Chuck, please…"

His sister was begging now, her face drenched in tears. Her voice broke then dropped to a whisper.

"Please."

* * *

"This is suicide."

Price's commentary had started up again. The man's ability to instill confidence was certainly lacking and his angry muttering wasn't helping at all. Sarah already knew it was bad, really bad. They were minutes from death and she couldn't see a way out.

"Dammit." She leaned her forehead against the wall, silently wishing for some inspiration, some genius idea that could save them. "This isn't working."

The door was a lost cause. The pressure sensor on the lock was more complicated than she had ever imagined. Another twenty minutes and she'd have a shot at getting around it, but at this point it was hopeless.

"You have to stop that clock." She glanced over at Price, trying to keep her eyes off the countdown. "We need more time."

"Agent Walker, I can't even see the bomb," Price gritted his teeth as he untangled another bundle of wires. "And we should have pulled out with everyone else, that's protocol. It's probably too late now."

_Well then maybe you should have gotten here sooner…_ Sarah wanted to scream at him. Her frustration with Price and Hoyt and this entire team was steadily growing. They could have rescued Ellie hours ago.

"We're supposed to establish escape routes," Price continued on, choosing the worst possible moment to give her a lecture. "We're supposed to have back up, proper equipment, RCVs-"

"You're right about that." Sarah's patience had officially run out. "But there are two people on the other side of that door. And somehow we need to keep them alive."

"I'm trying to keep _us_ alive, Agent Walker."

If looks could kill then Price would've been dead. But Sarah knew better than to pick a fight with him now. The seconds were ticking away and that awful little zero was coming up fast.

"Ellie, they're gonna get us out."

Chuck's voice crackled over the radio as he and Ellie continued their argument. Sarah had never felt so totally helpless. Listening to Ellie plead for her brother to save himself was the cruelest form of torture she'd ever experienced.

"What the hell's going on in here?" Casey suddenly appeared in the hallway. Sarah was certainly happy to see him, she needed a familiar face right then. But there was no time for a greeting as Casey's eyes went straight to the countdown.

One minute, thirty seconds.

"That's it." Price threw down his tools, catching both Sarah and Casey completely off guard. "I can't do anything from here. And Hoyt just ordered us out."

"What?" Sarah's stomach dropped. It took her a moment to understand the implications of what he was saying. Hoyt, the man who'd refused to help Ellie the previous night, was now condemning her to a horrible death. And Chuck would die too, Sarah was sure, because there was no way in hell he was leaving his sister.

"Does Hoyt even know who's in there?" Casey was pulling the Intersect card. It was the only option they had at this point. "Chuck Bartowski is one of the CIA's most valuable assets-"

"And he's decided to stay," Price cut him off abruptly, apparently missing Casey's murderous glare. "I'm not going to make the same mistake. We're done here."

If Price thought he was leaving then he was sorely mistaken. Before he could take another step, Casey grabbed him by his vest and shoved him back towards the timer.

"Listen to me," Casey leaned in close, his voice dropping ominously. "Your job is to stop bombs from going off. So you'd better stop this one otherwise we're all gonna die, you included."

Sarah couldn't watch this anymore. She still had Ellie and Chuck in her ear and all of it was becoming too much to bear. She snatched a set of clippers from the bag by her feet then tucked them into her jacket. The clippers probably couldn't cut through the shackles, but she was willing to try anything.

"Seventy seconds!" Price banged on the wall, knowing Chuck could hear them. The tools were back in his hands and his work had begun anew. Threatening the bomb squad guy had been a bold move on Casey's part, but at least he had gotten the desired results. Now it was Sarah's turn to try something desperate.

"What are you doing?" Casey was watching her closely.

"I can't stay here." Sarah knew she might never see her partner again. But she also knew exactly where she needed to be. And it wasn't here.

"I have to get into that room."

She expected Casey to shake his head, to insist that there wasn't enough time, because really there wasn't. But instead he gave her a nod.

"You'd better get going then."

Sarah managed a smile, stopping just short of saying goodbye. And then she turned and ran after Chuck.

* * *

"One minute! It's now or never, Bartowski!"

Chuck cringed, wishing that Price would shut up already. They didn't need an update on just how dire their situation had become. The slow beeping of the bomb was reminder enough.

"Chuck, you have this great life." Ellie was completely falling apart. She stood there, the tears still streaming down her face, her back turned to the window that she couldn't quite reach.

"I know you love Sarah. And you're so smart, you could do anything-"

"Come on El," Chuck wanted to help her, but he just couldn't give her the one thing she was asking for. "That doesn't matter right now."

"No it does, it does!" she insisted. "Because you're going to die and miss all of that. And it's not worth it."

"Ellie, stop."

"It's not worth it!"

"Ellie-"

"I'm dead either way Chuck!"

Her words hit him like a punch to the stomach. The finality of the situation was sinking in now. In less than a minute, their fates would be decided and while his was still up in the air, hers was all but certain. Ellie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, struggling to pull herself together again.

"Chuck," she said softly. "One of us has to get home."

Chuck tried not to listen, but he could hear the quiet resignation in her voice and now he could feel his own panic beginning. The bomb was beeping and Price was yelling and Ellie was basically waiting to die. He just had to think. His team had been through this before. They'd fought bad guys and stopped bombs so many times that he'd actually lost count. There was a way, there was always something. He just had to get Ellie free, that was it. With sudden desperation, he grabbed the chain on the shackles and gave it a hard tug, intent on breaking that pipe off of the wall.

"Chuck stop!"

He had only succeeded in pulling Ellie off balance.

"It's not going to work."

Chuck knew she was right. There was no sense in denying it any longer. This was over. It was done. Chuck swore under his breath, grabbed the chair in the corner and threw it across the room. Ellie jumped as it hit the floor then smashed into a pile of splinters.

Chuck slid down until he was finally seated with his back to the wall. He couldn't believe that they weren't going to make it. All of the work, all of the time spent getting to this point and now there was nothing more he could do. He pressed his face into his palms, completely defeated.

"Chuck."

He heard his sister drop down beside him.

"Chuck, please just go."

It was the one thing he absolutely would not do for her, no matter how much she begged. He sat there for a long moment, trying to slow his racing heart. He knew that they didn't have much time.

"Forty five seconds!"

Chuck finally lifted his head. If he died here so be it, but this wasn't the way he wanted to go out, hiding behind his hands like a child. His sister, scared and distraught, was sitting right next to him.

"Ellie, I'm sorry." Chuck sighed. She'd spent her whole life taking care of him. Now it was time to return the favor. "I'm not gonna leave you behind, not now, not ever."

"You can't stay here." She sounded just like she had as a kid, in all those moments she'd tried to be brave for him and their father and everyone else. And suddenly Chuck had a flash of memory. He could see all the way back to their childhood.

"Remember when Mom went away?" He scooted a little closer to her. Up until now, that had been one of the worst moments of his life. "I started having all those nightmares."

He'd been terrified that the rest of his family would leave him. It had always been his greatest fear, both then and now.

"You came and slept on my floor every night," Chuck could still picture his sister out in the hallway, dragging all of her blankets behind her. "Every night, El. And do you remember what you said?"

Ellie wiped her eyes as a fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I told you we'd always stick together." She was barely able to get the words out. "No matter what."

"See?" Chuck gave her a small smile, trying to keep his own emotions in check. "You don't get to change the rules now."

"Thirty seconds!"

She'd slept on his floor for two months and they'd talked for hours about the silliest things. It hadn't always been perfect, they'd fought like any other siblings. But at least they'd always had each other, even when everything went horribly wrong.

"Trust me." He took her hand in his own. "It's all going to be okay."

"Twenty seconds!"

Neither of them believed that. But somehow Chuck felt calm. This is how it would end, not on some crazy spy mission, not when he was old and grey, but here entombed on some old cargo ship. He tried not to think about Devon or his friends or the fact that Sarah was probably out in that hallway. In this moment he, Chuck Bartowski, was exactly where he needed to be. And that's all he could focus on now.

"Fifteen seconds!"

"Just close your eyes, El." He reached out and put his arm around her, happy that he'd made it this far at least. "It's not going to hurt, I promise."

* * *

Sarah Walker clung to the side of the ship, her body pressed into the building as she inched along. Chuck and Ellie had fallen silent on the other side of the radio. But Sarah was almost there. She could actually hear the bomb beeping a few windows over. But suddenly that beeping became one long tone.

And just like that, Sarah knew it was over.

She had a chance here, it was a quick drop down to the water below. She'd probably come up for air just in time to see the explosion, to watch as her world was blasted away. It was simple. All she had to do was jump.

But Sarah merely tightened her grip on the next window frame. There was nothing on this Earth that could make her let go.

* * *

Twelve seconds, eleven, ten…

Casey stared at the clock as it wound its way down. Price's hands hovered over the wires, his clippers at ready. His eyes were fixed, his gaze trained on the numbers, single digits now. But he seemed unsure of how to proceed.

Casey couldn't believe it. It just figured that this guy was one of Hoyt's men.

"Do something!" he shouted. They had nine seconds, eight, seven… "Do anything!"

Price didn't move. He didn't even blink.

"Idiot!" Casey wasn't about to die here. He spun around and reached for the emergency ax that was lashed to the wall. The sudden movement brought Price back to life.

"What are you doing?"

Casey stepped forward, knocking Price aside. The man fell to the ground, then watched in horror as Casey charged towards the door, the ax held high.

"Don't!" Price tried to catch him. "Stop!"

Bam! The blade came down severing every single one of the wires.

Casey closed his eyes and waited for the explosion he must have triggered.

With a single beep the counter hit zero.

The explosion never came.

* * *

It was quiet. That was the first thing he noticed.

Chuck opened his eyes. They were alive.

Ellie was curled up next to him, her legs folded up, her face buried in her knees. She didn't move and for one horrible second Chuck thought he was dreaming. Maybe they had died or maybe this was just that last, endless moment before their world was blown to pieces.

"Ellie?"

He didn't dare let go of her.

"El, it's okay," he said. "We're okay."

Another few seconds passed before she looked up. Chuck held his breath and waited. And then it finally happened.

For the first time that day, Ellie actually smiled.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought I'd be nice and not leave you on a big cliffhanger for once. :) But I promise, there's still much more to this story. Stay tuned!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Okay, so it's been awhile since my last posting. Sorry, holiday craziness got in the way. And since I have a few more busy days ahead of me, I figured I'd make this update just a little bit longer. Just to remind you, this takes place way back in season three, somewhere between Chuck versus the Beard and Chuck versus the Tic Tac. Have at it guys! Thanks for sticking with the story! :)_

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**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Nine**

The ride home was long, which made Casey's silence especially unnerving. They'd been stuck in traffic for an hour now and Sarah had expected some irritation from him or at least some grumbling about the mess of a mission they'd finally completed. Instead he just sat there in the passenger seat, staring at his phone. The only sound in the car was some broadcaster, speaking in hushed tones about an incoming storm.

It was weird to remember just how normal this civilian world was. These people worried about traffic and rain while she worried about guns and bombs and national security. She knew how much Chuck struggled to live in both of these worlds and how much that struggle had cost him today. For Ellie, it was even more cruel. She had been ripped right out of her happy, peaceful life and tossed straight into their horror show. And for that, Sarah felt incredibly guilty.

A sudden burst of music interrupted her thoughts as the weather report led into some bouncy new song. Sarah quickly turned it off. She was amazed that Casey hadn't beaten her to it. No one hated fresh-faced teens singing about love more than he did. But his eyes were still glued to his phone. His expression was unreadable. And now the tall pair of buildings that signaled her exit had finally come into view. They were back in Burbank and she was one step closer to putting this day behind her. Sarah just wanted to go to bed and wake up to her version of normal… regular missions, a few hours of face time at the yogurt shop, a quick hi to Ellie in the courtyard as she went to pick up Chuck for work…

Sarah was surprised by how much she suddenly missed the Bartowskis and the fact that she missed them at all considering she'd seen them both in the past twenty-four hours. But the party was a distant memory. And that last moment with Chuck on the ship felt like a lifetime ago. Since then, the bomb had been disarmed, the bad guys caught, the day saved. But Sarah hadn't seen either one of the siblings. She had a cover to maintain afterall and that cover had forced her to walk away, to let some other team swoop in for the eventual rescue.

For a long while though, Sarah Walker had kept her earpiece in. She'd been able to hear everything, Ellie's relief when the agents had come through the door and Chuck's insistence that they not be separated for interviews or interrogations or anything else. Chuck had forgotten that Sarah was there of course, that the radio was still working, but she was okay with that. She just wanted to hear his voice, Ellie's too. They were alive. That's all that mattered. Dugan was dead and Hoyt was gone, hopefully back to the hole he'd crawled out of.

Sarah stole a glance at Casey as they pulled up in front of the Orange Orange. She wondered what he was thinking. Had this mission left any kind of mark on him or was it just another day of work? But Casey didn't say a word. He just shouldered his bag and got out of the car.

"Casey, hold on," Sarah called after him.

She couldn't figure out what the rush was. They were done, it was over. But Casey marched straight through the shop like a soldier heading into battle. Castle's entrance was still mangled from their earlier escape. Wires were hanging from the ceiling and jagged pieces of metal reached out from the huge hole that Morgan had made. None of that slowed Casey down. And just before they hit the stairs, Sarah finally figured it out. All this time Casey had been watching his phone, what he'd actually been looking at was the surveillance from Castle.

Someone was in there, someone who Casey really wanted to see.

* * *

Hoyt must have realized that they'd be returning soon. He was scrambling to collect up the last of his things, probably hoping to make a quick exit. His files were in a neat stack, his hard drives packed up, but Sarah knew it was already way too late. Hoyt had made a huge mistake coming back here.

"You son of a bitch!" Casey dropped his bag and was on him within seconds. A single punch took Hoyt to the ground. The blow stunned the man, but then he staggered to his feet, wiping a bloody lip with the back of his sleeve.

"Colonel Casey," Hoyt held up one hand. "I know you're upset-"

Casey was only too happy to confirm that. He grabbed Hoyt's jacket and drove his knee straight into the agent's stomach.

"You piece of crap!" Apparently the encounter with Price had only scratched the surface of Casey's bubbling rage. He landed several additional blows, each more punishing than the last. Sarah heard something crack as Hoyt doubled over in pain.

"You don't deserve to work for this country!"

"Agent Walker," Hoyt's words were garbled as he tried to defend himself. Back in training he'd probably passed his written tests easily, but the one subject he'd clearly never aced was fighting. "Get control of your partner!"

_Nice try…_ Sarah thought. But there was no controlling John Casey. This had been building all day, ever since they'd discovered the truth about Hoyt. And agent or not, he certainly deserved everything that was coming his way.

"Colonel, stop!"

Sarah watched as Hoyt's arrogance gave way to fear. He was a bully, one who used his rules and regulations instead of his fists. But as most bullies eventually learned, there was always someone bigger and badder than them.

"Were you planning to let that girl die?" Casey threw Hoyt across the conference table. A stack of folders went flying. Hoyt's precious reports scattered across the room in an ever-widening debris field.

"She's a liability right?" Casey had him by the collar now. "So who cares if she gets blown to bits?"

"Colonel, stand down!" Hoyt was flailing around like a wounded animal. Sarah had seen Casey angry. She'd seen him take on five or six guys without even blinking. But she'd never seen anything quite like this. Casey was actually shaking with fury, he seemed almost possessed.

"The only agent you had in that building was a bomb squad guy who couldn't handle a bomb!"

"Dugan was our priority, the card-"

"What about Bartowski?" Casey let out a low growl. "He has served this country for three years and you let him walk into a trap."

"He chose to go in there."

"To rescue his sister!" Casey slammed Hoyt down again, causing the table to screech in protest. "A very nice doctor you seemed hell bent on killing."

Hoyt was finally experiencing the terror he'd inflicted on so many others. His entire body was trembling now, his skin had turned white. His eyes darted over to Sarah, but she'd already made her position quite clear. She might stop Casey from beating him to death, but that was about it.

"I was just doing my job," Hoyt's breath came out in ragged gasps. "Bartowski's sister was not my responsibility."

"She's a citizen of this country," Casey gritted his teeth, barely suppressing his urge to kill. "Those are the people we're supposed to protect."

"Colonel Casey!"

Sarah jumped as General Beckman appeared on the screen.

"That's enough."

Casey didn't seem to hear her at first. Sarah waited as he took a deep breath then finally turned towards the front of the room. Hoyt was left sprawled across the table, gulping for air.

"Agent Hoyt, you are to report back to Washington immediately." Beckman seemed on the verge of yelling, but she managed to keep herself in check. "We can discuss this mission further upon your return."

"Of course, General." Hoyt was definitely hurting as he struggled to stand. But Beckman showed no sympathy. In fact her expression matched Casey's perfectly.

"It's going to be a very, very long discussion, Agent Hoyt." She glared at him. "So you'd better prepare yourself."

Hoyt rubbed his swollen jaw and gave her a nod. He didn't even bother to collect up his papers as he headed for the stairs. Sarah knew they would never see him again. With any luck he'd be shipped off to some base in Siberia, the further away from Casey the better. Sarah didn't want her partner facing a murder charge.

"General Beckman." Casey clasped his hands behind his back, finally at peace. "I apologize for what you just saw."

"As well you should." Beckman didn't look much happier with either of them.

She put on her glasses and appeared to be reading from a report in front of her. "Not only did you just assault an agent, but apparently you disobeyed at least one direct order."

"General," Sarah stepped up beside Casey. "Agent Hoyt's primary concern was examining what Chuck would do in this situation, even though that put him at considerable risk. We felt we needed to intervene to insure his safety."

Sarah couldn't quite tell how her argument was going over. But at least she had the courage of her convictions.

"Agent Hoyt was ordered to evaluate your team." The general confirmed exactly what they already knew. "But I must admit that his decisions were…" she paused for a moment, trying to come up with the right word. "-misguided."

Sarah could think of a few better descriptions.

"Clearly we don't condone risking civilians and agents unless it is absolutely necessary," Beckman continued. "And that wasn't the case here."

_No…_ Sarah thought. _It certainly wasn't._

"General, had we known Ellie Bartowski's location earlier, we could have prevented everything that happened today," Sarah spoke up quickly, not wanting to miss her opportunity. This wasn't just some procedural mishap that had occurred.

"Instead we nearly lost Chuck and probably traumatized his sister. And now Dugan's dead and we have no chance to question him."

"I am well aware of what happened today." Beckman softened, just a bit. "And I can promise you that Agent Hoyt will be punished for his part in this mess."

Sarah watched as the hint of a smile crossed Casey's face.

"But now we need to discuss Agent Bartowski."

Casey's smile faded fast. Sarah's heart sank. She had thought they were home free, with Ellie safe and Hoyt gone from their lives… But now she knew where this conversation was headed. And Casey seemed to sense it too.

"That memory card was a decoy," Sarah tried not to sound as anxious as she suddenly felt.

"Yes it was," Beckman folded her hands in front of her. "But Bartowski didn't know that."

It was an important point, one that Sarah had intentionally ignored. She and Casey had done a lot of crazy things today, but they had never endangered anyone else. With Chuck it was different. That card made it different. Chuck had thought it was real, and he'd taken it anyway, public safety be damned. That was not something the general could overlook.

"While we all might hate to admit it," She took off her glasses and laid them in front of her. "Agent Hoyt has proven that Chuck cannot do his job while continuing to reside near his family."

It was like watching a judge hand down a sentence.

"I am hesitant to remove him, but it may be our only option."

"General, our cover wasn't blown." Sarah's protest was immediate. Casey had fallen silent beside her, but Sarah was ready to argue for both of them. "Ellie never saw us. She doesn't know anything about Chuck's spy life."

"His cover isn't my concern right now," Beckman said firmly. "His actions are."

"General-"

"There will be a meeting tomorrow." The general's gaze fell directly on Sarah. "By then I expect you to have that decoy card in hand. I'm quite certain people will be asking about it."

"General, this hardly seems fair."

"We're not in the business of being fair," Beckman could easily recite the company line, she'd done it many, many times before. "We're in the business of protecting this country."

"Chuck's spent the last three years helping us do that."

"And today he committed a serious offense-"

"We don't know that," Sarah interrupted her. Beckman was growing more and more aggravated, but for Sarah that was barely registering now. "We only know part of the story."

"Walker-" Casey gently grabbed her elbow, but Sarah shook him off. Chuck was her partner, she certainly had a right to be heard.

"This is his future," she snapped. "We can't just decide it on somebody's guess!"

"Agent Walker, he took that card to the ship."

"We don't know that," Sarah repeated, her frustration mounting. She could feel Casey falling back behind her and Sarah realized she was on her own here. "Maybe you should ask him what happened before you force him to leave!"

"I don't need to ask him anything." Beckman's image grew larger as she leaned towards the camera. "He took that card to a very dangerous man, a known terrorist!"

"But we never saw him give it to anyone," Sarah stepped forward. All she wanted was for Beckman to listen, to give them a chance. "Chuck knew what he was doing."

"And if the tables had turned?" Beckman demanded. "If our people hadn't arrived? We all know that card would have gone straight to Dugan!"

"To save his sister!"

"And endanger this country!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"No, that's a crime, Agent Walker!"

"Well then it's our fault!" Sarah shouted, the full force of her anger aimed at the screen. "Because we never prepared him for something like this!"

Casey dropped his head as her words echoed through Castle. Beckman froze. It was as if the monitor had suddenly glitched. She just sat there, completely still. She was clearly taken aback, stunned that her agent would use such a tone with her.

Sarah took a deep breath. She knew she was playing a dangerous game here. You simply didn't yell at a United States general, no matter how noble your cause. But this was much harder than she had ever imagined.

"General," she started over again, surprised to find herself blinking back tears. It was a struggle just to keep her voice even. "You know that Chuck's family means everything to him."

Beckman didn't respond right away. She was probably deciding just how hard she should come down on Sarah. In the end though, she chose restraint over anger. She was the one who had sent Hoyt here, and that couldn't have been an easy burden to bear.

"I'm sorry Agent Walker," she let out a long sigh. "But a spy doesn't compromise national security. Not for his family, not for anything."

Sarah closed her eyes just for a second as she tried to regain her composure. She knew she'd have to let this fight go. If she continued down this road, she risked losing even more than she already had. As it was, Chuck's entire life was about to be uprooted. And Sarah's as well… Once Chuck was reassigned there was no telling where she and Casey would land. Everything they'd been working for would just end. It would all disappear, never to be mentioned again except in closed door meetings with their superiors.

"One more thing." The general was treading lightly here. "And before you say anything, I realize that this will be a difficult task."

_Because there haven't been enough of those for one day, _Sarah thought bitterly. It was far too soon for another mission and she resented the general for even mentioning one. But Beckman pressed on anyway.

"I am going to ask-" she started then stopped, glancing down at her desk as she reconsidered her statement. "I am going to ask that you not tell Bartowski about Agent Hoyt's actions today."

Sarah barely kept her jaw from dropping. Another mission, _any_ other mission, would have been preferable to that request.

"If he discovered that one of our agents knew his sister's location all along…" Beckman trailed off then shook her head. "I'm afraid that it would be impossible for him to continue his work. We may have to reassign him, but we certainly cannot afford to lose him."

"General, are you asking us to lie to Chuck?"

"I'm asking you to omit some of the facts, Agent Walker. We must preserve Agent Bartowski's trust in his government."

"General Beckman…"

"I understand your loyalty to Chuck, but this is an order."

Sarah knew another battle wouldn't make any difference. Beckman had already made up her mind.

"Believe me, Agent Hoyt is the least of his worries right now."

She wasn't just talking about the job. Chuck's civilian life had taken a far greater hit than his professional one today. And that would weigh on him heavily.

"This really is the best thing for him, Sarah."

The general was being sincere. Whether or not her decision was right, well only time would tell.

Beckman cleared her throat and Sarah could see her switching gears. Forget the messy personal stuff, she was ready to get back to business. As far as she was concerned, Hoyt's disastrous tenure here was no longer their problem. And she was certainly done debating Chuck's reassignment. They were back to good versus evil and the black and white rules of being a spy. Everything else would fall by the wayside.

"We'll reconvene tomorrow at oh nine hundred." Beckman straightened in her seat. "I'd like Agent Bartowski to be here for that."

She gave them a curt nod and then she was gone. Sarah and Casey were finally alone. No more Beckman and no Agent Hoyt. The Castle was theirs once more, for a little while anyway.

Sarah lowered herself into a chair, overwhelmed and exhausted. This had been a truly horrible day and now on top of everything else she was facing reassignment. The damage Hoyt had done was probably irreparable. The CIA was about to lose one of its best teams and the Castle base would have to be closed.

Sarah punched a button on the console beside her. There was the surveillance from Chuck's building. His apartment was empty, but Sarah caught sight of him out in the courtyard, hovering near Ellie's door. She knew the damage wouldn't be limited to the CIA. This whole thing would take a very personal toll.

"You think he knows how bad this could get?" Sarah glanced over at Casey.

"Doubt it." Now that the general was gone he had come back to life. "Right now all that kid's feeling is guilt. He nearly got his sister killed."

"Is that how you see it?"

"No, but that's how he sees it." Casey was right of course. This was Chuck they were talking about. "None of this would've happened if he didn't work for us."

"But Ellie thinks it was just a mistake." Sarah watched Chuck up on the screen, nervously playing with the zipper on his jacket. "The wrong card showed up at the Buy More and Dugan went after Chuck just because he was there."

It was the same tale every time. Bad things always seemed to happen at the Buy More.

"She thinks that Chuck's involvement was all some big accident."

"Well we'll need a good story when he disappears." Casey went over to retrieve his bag. "It's going to be a pain in the ass to separate those two."

"So you agree with Beckman?" Sarah was surprised by how detached he suddenly seemed. Casey cared about Chuck and his family. His little outburst with Hoyt had only served to confirm that. But now Casey was back to his usual gruff self, just following orders.

"You really think we should force Chuck to leave?"

"He took that card to a terrorist base." Casey unzipped his bag then laid several guns out on the table. "This was over the moment he stepped onto that ship."

"He was protecting his sister."

"Yeah, but everybody's got someone," Casey muttered. To him this was just some greeting card statement, one that certainly didn't apply to the life that he knew.

"They have a kid or a dog, or a sibling or someone they'll do anything to protect. And then they'll toss their principles right out the window."

"Casey, that's human nature."

"No, that's weakness." He began to reload the guns one by one, slamming the magazines in with increasing irritation. If there was one thing Casey hated besides boy bands and communism, it was weakness.

"It's like Beckman said." He had a knack for repeating the general's speeches. "We don't compromise, not for anyone or anything. We stay in control."

"Casey, you nearly killed Hoyt just now." Sarah leaned across the table, careful not to disturb his vast array of weaponry. "Control is hardly your strong suit."

Casey's head shot up as he tightened his grip on his favorite gun.

"Hoyt crossed a line," he said slowly, his tone warning her to back off this subject. "Bartowski's a member of this team and Ellie sure as hell didn't deserve what happened to her."

That last part hit a nerve. But she and Casey were on the same side here. They were partners, two people who had done their jobs to the best of their ability. And yet they'd come up just a little bit short.

"We should have been watching out for her, Casey."

"Maybe." He knew as well as she did that they had failed Ellie badly and it seemed to bother him just as much. "But that doesn't erase what that kid did. He broke the rules."

"But we broke the rules too."

They were hardly innocents in all of this. Sarah had nearly lost count of their various offences. Deleting the Buy More footage, breaking out of Castle, taking on Hoyt… It was a miracle that they hadn't landed in jail. But Casey just shook his head.

"We fought the bad guys," he reminded her. "Chuck almost helped them. And those people in Beckman's meetings, they don't give a damn why he did it."

There was no bitterness in his words, no anger, just truth. Chuck had wanted this job, but there was a reason that Sarah had tried to talk him out of it. No matter what happened or what the stakes were, national security, the greater good, that was supposed to be the priority. Theirs was a different world and Chuck's decision to put his family first simply didn't jibe with it.

"We don't get hugs and kisses and birthday parties." Casey glanced around at their surroundings, the dimly lit Castle that they practically lived in, the one they would soon be leaving.

"We get missions, Walker. And that's never gonna change."

She knew that, hell she'd signed up for that. Once upon a time she'd been proud of her ability to detach, to walk away from anyone or anything. But now… now it was all so different.

Sarah gradually turned her attention back to the screen. The courtyard was deserted. Chuck had finally worked up the courage to enter Ellie's apartment. At least they had each other for a little while longer.

"So everybody has someone," Sarah sighed.

"Exactly," Casey regarded his weapons once more. He seemed content to be the exception. "Everybody but us."

* * *

Morgan Grimes was staring at her.

Ellie had actually grown used to this over the years. It had started when they were kids on the first day Chuck had brought his friend home. Morgan had always watched her with this ridiculous and completely unwarranted adoration. But now all she could see was his worry.

"Morgan?"

"What?" Morgan was on his feet instantly, like an over eager kid who'd finally been called upon. "Do you need something? How about tea? Tea's supposed to be calming."

"Then maybe you should drink some." She tried for a bit of levity, but Morgan just shook his head. If she wasn't interested, then neither was he.

After a moment, he finally settled into the chair again, his chin on his hands, his eyes back on her. And now came the awkward silence. Ellie glanced around her apartment, hoping that he could take a hint. It was starting to get uncomfortable now. But still he refused to look away.

"Morgan," she sighed. "Can you please stop staring at me?"

He blinked once. He didn't seem to process what she was saying. His mind was clearly elsewhere. She had no idea what Chuck had told him, but she knew the story must have frightened him. It took a lot to keep Morgan Grimes quiet.

"Morgan?"

He blinked again. And now at last, he leaned back a little. He crossed his legs, trying to appear more relaxed. But his act wasn't fooling anyone. She could still see his fingers digging into the chair.

"Sorry." He gave her a sheepish grin then seemed to think better of it. "I didn't mean to get weird there."

"It's okay." Ellie managed a smile of her own. "Believe me, I get it."

"It's just-" he started to stumble over his words as he finally tore his gaze away. "Are you sure you should've left the hospital? It seemed like they wanted you to stay overnight."

"Morgan-"

"And medical professionals-" he rushed ahead. "Like yourself for instance, they tend to be pretty smart people."

"It was just a precaution."

It felt like she'd been saying the same sentence for days. Morgan was having a hard time, but with Chuck it had been far, far worse. Even after she'd escaped the hospital exam room, he'd literally chased her down the hall, admission papers in hand. But Ellie was a doctor. She didn't stay in a hospital unless she was working there.

"I'd much rather be home," she explained. "That's the best medicine Morgan, trust me."

Morgan finally nodded, but still he seemed anxious about the whole situation. He'd been the first one in the door when she and Chuck had come home and he hadn't left since.

"I just want you to be okay," he said quietly. There were no jokes or flirtatious smiles. Morgan was as serious as she'd ever seen him and his concern was achingly sweet.

"Morgan, I'm fine." She put her hand on his knee, wanting to make sure he heard her this time. "I'm okay, I promise."

He nodded again and then suddenly his eyes went up to the ceiling. It took Ellie a minute to figure it out. Morgan was trying not to cry.

"Where's Chuck?" He stood quickly, swiping at his cheeks with one of his hands.

"I'm here, buddy."

They both turned and saw Chuck standing near the doorway. Ellie had no idea how long he'd been there. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his gaze was cast downward. Her little brother looked utterly miserable.

"Chuck, everything's fine now." Somehow she needed to remind him of that. It was as if he'd forgotten how the story had ended. They had both made it home, they were safe.

"Why do you seem so sad?"

"He's just having a bad day." Morgan went and slapped his friend on the back, still sniffling just a bit. Then he glanced over at Ellie. His face reddened considerably. "Well I guess both of you are, really."

This was true. But after all Chuck had done, he had no reason to be upset. He'd been amazing out on that ship. She was about to tell him that when she heard the door slam. Ellie jumped, grabbing for the arm of the couch. But then she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh thank god!"

It was Devon.

Ellie suddenly realized how much she'd missed him. It had barely been a day since she'd last seen her husband, but that day had been the longest one of her life. She'd thought about him a lot back in that little room on the ship, about all the wonderful times they'd shared and the future they'd probably never have together. But now, out of the blue, she had her life back. Everything she'd given up on was possible again. Taking all those trips they'd planned, making a family, growing old together… It was a lot to process in the few seconds it took him to walk through the door.

"Devon!"

He caught her up in a hug, lifting her into the air. Ellie buried her face in his shoulder as her feet finally came to rest on the floor. But she wasn't going to cry again, not now.

"Thank god you're here." Devon stroked the back of her head. She could actually feel his heart thumping in his chest.

"I missed you," Ellie mumbled. "I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."

"Are you okay?" Devon gently pushed her back. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he quickly examined her. She was obviously in one piece, but that didn't seem to calm his frazzled nerves. And finally his eyes darted over to Chuck.

"Is she okay?"

"Devon, I'm fine." She tried to pull his focus back, but Devon was still waiting for her brother's response. None was forthcoming. Ellie knew instantly that something was wrong. Chuck wasn't looking at either of them.

"She's fine." Morgan, ever the peacekeeper, stepped in between her husband and brother. "Everybody's okay. Really the whole thing probably sounds worse than it was."

"Really Morgan?" Devon's tone changed abruptly. He sounded cold, bitter even. "Are you sure about that?"

Morgan was suddenly preoccupied with his shoes.

"Maybe not."

And unfortunately in that moment Devon glanced down. Ellie immediately pulled her hands into her sleeves, but it was too late.

"What's this?" He gently took hold of one of her wrists and lifted it for closer inspection. The ugly red marks were hard to miss. "What happened here?"

Ellie turned to her brother for help. Chuck still hadn't said a word through any of this and he certainly didn't seem ready to now.

"They're rope burns," she finally admitted. She thought Devon's head might explode as his expression switched from concern to fury.

"Rope burns?"

"I know this seems bad." Ellie squeezed his fingers. "But please don't freak out."

"Babe, that's a little hard right now."

Devon was staring at Chuck again. He was obviously waiting for some explanation.

"How in the hell did this happen?"

"It wasn't his fault," Ellie insisted. If Chuck wouldn't come to his own defense then she would do it for him. She certainly owed him that much.

"Some people wanted this memory card that came into the Buy More." The story sounded crazier each time she told it, but it was the truth and he'd have to accept it. "We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"And Chuck, he found her," Morgan added. "Everybody's safe now."

"Yeah, he's a real hero."

Ellie could hear her husband's anger mixed in with the sarcasm. She'd seen him get upset before, but never at Chuck, at least not that she could remember.

"Devon…"

This was her little brother they were talking about, the brother who had nearly died trying to save her. And after everything that had happened, the last thing she needed was a confrontation between the two people she loved most in the world. Devon must have seen the hurt in her eyes, because his expression softened immediately.

"El, I'm sorry." He pulled her in for another long hug. "I was just scared. But you're right, it's nobody's fault."

"No, it's not," she murmured. It had happened and she was tired of thinking about it, tired of wondering how things could have been different. She simply wanted to stay right where she was, warm, happy, wrapped in Devon's arms. It was the first time she had really felt safe that day. But then abruptly, Devon stepped back.

"Babe, I just need to steal Chuck for a second."

"What?" Ellie didn't want to let go of him, but finally she had to. "Wait, Devon, don't leave."

"I'll be right outside." He made sure to look her straight in the eye. "Believe me, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

"Devon-"

"It'll just be a second." Devon kissed her on the top of the head then turned and grabbed a hold of Chuck's arm. He half guided, half pushed her brother towards the door. His voice became serious as he glanced back at Morgan.

"Make sure you stay with her."

"You know I will." Morgan gave him a nod as he took Ellie's hand. And for once she wasn't in a rush to let go.

"I'll guard her with my life if I have to."

But Devon never heard him. He and Chuck were already gone.

* * *

**_Author's Note: I'll try to update again soon. If you have a chance please leave your comments in the reviews section. It's really great to know what people like, where they think the story is going etc. Thanks again guys!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Ten**

Early on in all of this, Chuck had considered telling Devon everything that was happening. The man adored Ellie and he had certainly deserved to know she was missing. But Sarah had talked him out of calling. And now Chuck was forced to admit that he'd easily let her win that argument. Even now, with Ellie safe, this was a conversation he had been dreading.

"How in the hell did she end up on that ship?"

They were back in Chuck's apartment now, hidden from Ellie and the rest of the world. Chuck wasn't sure how much Devon knew or who had called him. Ellie had tried as soon as they'd gotten out of that room, but he'd been in surgery and she'd refused to leave a message. This wasn't really something you could say in a voicemail.

"The ship was a base of operations," Chuck started quickly, hoping to appease Devon with some part of the story. "The guy who took her, he was a weapons dealer named Dugan-"

"I don't care what his name was." Devon was stalking around the living room, his arms crossed in front of him. "Is he dead?"

Chuck could still see Dugan falling to the deck, a dark spot of blood on his shirt.

"Yeah," he swallowed hard. "He's dead."

A tiny flicker of satisfaction crossed Devon's face.

"Good."

His response was both appropriate and unexpected. Devon was a doctor, he valued life. He'd saved children and cops and even world leaders but he'd also saved gangbangers and murderers. In all that time Chuck was pretty sure he'd never wished anyone dead… at least not until now.

"How did that guy even find her?" Devon demanded. "What happened to your alias and all your big plans to keep us out of harms way?"

Those last few words were dripping with disdain. Chuck had made a point of using them on several occasions and now Devon was throwing them back in his face.

"They followed me, Devon."

The admission made Chuck sick to his stomach. He waited for Devon's reaction. But his brother-in-law was still pacing back and forth across the room, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"We set a trap for Dugan and his men yesterday," Chuck forced himself to continue. "They were supposed to meet up with a courier to buy a memory card. But they must have seen us first."

That sentence stopped Devon dead in his tracks. That moment in the restaurant had been the turning point, it was obvious in hindsight.

"So when these guys didn't show up," Devon's voice was eerily calm. "You didn't think that maybe they were onto you?"

"We thought about it, but…."

"But what?" Devon couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Did that really seem like the best time to go pick up your sister, when you were right in the middle of a mission?"

Chuck had no answer for that. In truth he'd never even connected the two. This was just how it had always been. There were hiccups along the way, but he'd become quite adept at moving between his spy life and his normal one. He rarely even thought about it anymore.

And then yesterday everything had gone wrong, like the stars had aligned against him somehow. The timing of the mission, Ellie's party, the van he'd mistaken for Jeff's… He'd never realized how easily his life could unravel.

"We didn't know," Chuck was suddenly at a loss to explain.

"How the hell could you not?" Devon was incredulous. His face had turned a deep shade of red and Chuck knew he was reaching his boiling point. "You told me you did this sort of stuff all the time."

"We do," Chuck stammered. "It should have been routine, but this… this was an accident, Devon."

"An accident?" Devon exploded, his anger amplified by fear and resentment and a fiercely protective streak that Chuck knew well.

"An accident is when you slip and fall, Chuck! It's when you swerve your car to miss someone's dog. This-" He picked up a Wii remote and hurled it across the room. "This is an accident!"

It smashed into the wall, plastic shards flying everywhere.

"Devon-"

"She was taken from her own birthday party!" Devon was right in his face now, unleashing all that extra rage he'd hidden from Ellie. "And that's on you! You're the one who needed to lie! And you're the one they really wanted!"

"Devon, believe me, I get it, I get how badly we screwed up."

"And after all that, you didn't even have the guts to tell me!"

"I'm trying to tell you now," Chuck protested. He knew his brother-in-law was just venting, but still, his words stung. Chuck already felt horrible. He'd spent the past few hours trying to hold it together, to not show Ellie how truly terrified he'd been. But even now, his heart was still racing, just thinking of how close they'd come to total disaster. And Devon wasn't letting up.

"What the hell was going through your mind?" He pounded the wall right next to Chuck's head. "I should have been the first number you dialed!"

And that was pretty much all Chuck could take. Something snapped inside him, releasing a swirl of pent up emotions.

"And what if I had called, Devon?" The question came out in a rush as Chuck stepped forward. "What did you want to hear? That some crazy bad guy had grabbed Ellie? That I had no idea whether she was dead or alive? Was I supposed to call you at the hospital and tell you that?"

Devon narrowed his eyes, appearing far more menacing than the bad guys they'd fought.

"Chuck, my wife was kidnapped last night." His glare could have melted steel. "She was scared out of her mind and she had no idea what those guys were going to do to her. And that whole time I just went about my day, performing surgeries, doing charts. I was discussing football while some terrorist was threatening to kill her."

Chuck took a deep, deep breath. He tried to find some perspective, tried to stay calm. He knew that if their roles had been reversed, he would have been furious. But as it was, he'd done this to protect Devon too.

"I didn't want to get you involved."

"I'm already involved!" Devon yelled. "You're the one who dragged me into this, remember?"

It was true. Chuck had been using him for months now, allowing him to take care of Ellie's questions. At one point Devon had even considered joining their team. But his attitude had changed once he'd realized the truth. Their way of life came at a cost. Of course neither he nor Chuck had realized just how high that cost might be.

"Look, no one's getting near her again." Chuck was completely sure of this fact. At the first sign of trouble Ellie would be down in Castle. He didn't care what Beckman had to say about that.

"You don't need to be in middle of this, Devon."

Devon just shook his head. Chuck had a long history of broken promises, especially when it came to his family. His pledge to keep his sister out of danger didn't carry much weight.

"I'm not asking to go out on your missions." Devon's fists were clenched, but Chuck could see that he was trying to be reasonable. "You can run off and save the world, that's great. It's important. But when it comes to Ellie you don't get to keep secrets."

"I did what I thought was best." Chuck was standing firm on that part at least.

"But you're not the only one who gets to decide that, not anymore."

"Devon come on," Chuck tried again to get through to him. He wanted desperately to offer some reassurance, to let Devon know that he and Ellie could get on with their lives. Chuck would take care of the rest of it. He owed them that much. "I'll have a whole team watching out for her now."

But Devon had heard this all before, countless times, and Chuck knew that he had lost all credibility.

"Just stop." Devon moved towards the door, making no attempt to hide his disgust. "I'm done listening to this."

"She's gonna be safe." Chuck tried to block his path. "I got this, I promise."

"Dude seriously, you are pushing it."

"I can protect my own sister."

"But it's my job to protect her too, Chuck!"

Devon turned and shoved Chuck as hard as he could. Chuck fell backwards, careening into a nearby shelf, the Intersect starting to flash through his brain. He knew his brother-in-law was going to hit him now. He bit his lip, praying that he could keep the Intersect at bay. The last thing he wanted was an all out brawl with the man Ellie loved. But as he waited for the punch that would surely come, the one that he certainly deserved, he saw the anger leave Devon's face.

"I'm sorry." Devon pressed his hands over his eyes. "I didn't mean to do that."

He seemed utterly lost, as if he'd just woken up in another reality. He'd barely had any time to process what had happened. Chuck had been on this rollercoaster all day and everything he'd experienced in those twenty-four hours, Devon had experienced in less than one.

"Are you sure she's really okay?"

His voice was thick and the words seemed to catch in the back of his throat. The question wasn't an easy one to ask.

"She's good." Chuck's answer was immediate. He knew exactly what Devon needed to hear. "They checked her out at another hospital."

Ellie had refused to go to the place where she worked. As it was, she hadn't been the easiest patient. But Chuck had been a far bigger pain to the doctors. He had quizzed them for an hour about blood tests, the effects of the drugs Dugan had given her, every detail he could think of.

"Casey swore we went to the very best doctors…" he trailed off. "Besides you of course."

Devon nodded, letting out one long breath.

"As long as she's okay."

As he spoke, his eyes wandered over to the shelf they'd disturbed. Many of Chuck's favorite photos were there and somehow the frames had remained upright. There was his first real picture with Sarah, one from Morgan's birthday with the whole crew smiling around the gigantic cake that Ellie had made, the shot of his father, an arm around each one of his children… these were all the people Chuck cared about. They were also the ones he'd been putting in danger.

"I'm sorry," Chuck said carefully. He certainly didn't want to set Devon off again. "None of this was supposed to happen."

"But it did, Chuck."

Devon reached for one of the photos. It was a picture of Chuck and Ellie, goofing off after her graduation from med school. Chuck was wearing her cap, pulled down to the point where he almost couldn't see. Ellie stood there laughing beside him. That seemed like so long ago, back when everything had been simple. Devon had snapped that photo. He was the only other person who had been there for Ellie.

"I know you two have that crazy sibling bond," Devon ran his fingers over the glass then finally looked up at him. "But she has other people now, you both do."

And that's when it hit Chuck.

This wasn't just about the ship, or the bomb, or the fact that Chuck had led the bad guys to Ellie. This was also about Devon's place in the family, where he stood, what he counted for. Nearly losing Ellie had scared him badly. And his rage was obvious and certainly earned. But now Chuck could see that he had hurt him as well. He hadn't trusted Devon, not when it really mattered. Instead he'd left him out of the loop, just as he had eventually done with Sarah and Casey.

"Devon, I wasn't trying to shut you out." Chuck needed to repair some of the damage. But Devon just shook his head, setting the picture back on the shelf.

"I love Ellie," he said softly. "I love her more than anything."

It was a statement he'd made many, many times before to anyone who would listen, but now his voice was unnaturally quiet.

"And even if I couldn't have helped you today, I at least deserved the chance to try."

Chuck couldn't think of any way to respond. He was deeply ashamed of himself. Ellie's terror, the pain Devon was experiencing now, he was responsible for all of it. But there was no time machine to go back and change what he'd done, no simple apology he could share with the people he loved. Nothing he said now could fix what had happened. And so he stood there silently as Devon let himself out.

* * *

**_Okay so there you have it for now. Sorry it's short, but I wanted to get something up sooner rather than later. Next up, we get back to Sarah and the card, so stay tuned. The ending is coming up fast. If you could, please leave a review for this story (pick a chapter, any chapter). It has taken a long time to write and I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts! _**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Eleven**

The courtyard was nearly deserted. But a lone figure sat by the fountain, his shoulders hunched, his head in his hands. Sarah had arrived just as Chuck had left his apartment. Now she stood outside the main gate, half hidden behind a tree. She knew Chuck needed some time with his thoughts. Sarah had grown accustomed to hiding her feelings, but Chuck had no such ability. His guilt and frustration were easy to read, his sad expression almost unbearable.

Sarah wanted desperately to tell him the truth about Hoyt. It seemed only fair. Chuck was blaming himself for everything. But Hoyt had been in charge of the mission and if anyone was truly at fault for what had happened to Ellie, it was him. Chuck deserved to know that. He needed to let himself off the hook.

But as Sarah watched him, she realized that she'd have to keep her mouth shut, because if Chuck knew the truth he would quit. There was no way he could work for an organization that had let his sister suffer like that. It wouldn't matter what anyone said, the CIA had brought Hoyt into Chuck's life and more importantly they'd brought him into Ellie's as well. And Chuck wouldn't be able to forgive them for that. He'd hand in his tranq gun and be done with it all.

Sarah would've happily let him go of course. He'd worked hard for his country and he deserved to be free. But with that Intersect in his brain, he was both an asset to the government and a huge liability. If he were reassigned, he'd probably land in a lush villa in Europe. If he quit he'd end up in an underground bunker, locked away for the rest of his life. And Hoyt would essentially win. There was no way in hell she was going to let that happen.

"Sarah," Chuck had finally spotted her. She could see him relax, just a little. "I'm glad you're here."

Sarah took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come. This wouldn't be easy. But as she slipped through the gate, she was able to offer him a smile at least.

"I'm glad you're glad."

She glanced around the courtyard at the twinkling lights and the delicate plants that climbed the walls with such ease. It had turned out to be a beautiful night. She would miss this place. She would miss the smell of the flowers and the sweet aroma of whatever Ellie happened to be baking when Sarah stopped by. And she would miss sitting here with Chuck after a mission, talking and laughing at his goofy jokes.

_This isn't your life... _She could still hear Casey's words echoing in her head. "_We don't get hugs and kisses and birthday parties…" _No, they got missions. And her mission now was to retrieve that decoy card, report back to Beckman and then start packing. She'd have to cut all ties to this place and these people then move on to another stop, another job, and another set of faces. She'd done it before, many times. But this particular set of faces was so much harder to leave.

"Are you alright?" Sarah took her customary seat beside Chuck, trying to keep her own sadness at bay. The question should have been a formality, a conversation starter, but she genuinely cared what his answer was.

"Devon hates me," Chuck sighed. "He hates me for what happened, he hates me for not telling him. And I get it, I do, but…"

"Chuck, I'm sorry." Sarah had pretty much expected that reaction from Devon. "I tried to stop Casey from calling him."

"Casey was the one who called?" This revelation wasn't providing much comfort. "How did he even get through? Devon was in surgery."

"He cited national security, made a few threats… I think he might have growled a little."

"Do you know what he told Devon?"

Sarah bit her lip. She remembered it perfectly. She and Casey had been down in Castle, but she hadn't realized who he was calling, at least not right away.

"His exact words were 'Ellie was kidnapped by terrorists. We recovered her on a ship. She's safe. Come home.'"

Chuck winced beside her. There'd been no lead up, no hand-holding. Casey's call had been fast, efficient and brutally honest. Nothing new for him. But it certainly wasn't the way Sarah would've delivered the news.

"Well…" Chuck seemed resigned to his fate. What was done, was done. "I guess that pretty much covers it."

"Yeah, but that leaves out a lot of the story."

"It doesn't matter how you tell it," he mumbled. "It's always gonna be a pretty terrible story."

He was right. Even if she'd been the one to call, she doubted the situation would have turned out much better. She might have been able to lessen the blow. But Devon would have been angry either way. Love always brought out the strongest emotions.

"He just needs some time to cool off." Sarah could only hope that was true. "Ellie's alive and that's the important thing."

"Yeah, but Sarah, she's not like us."

They'd finally worked their way back to his sister, the greatest source of Chuck's guilt.

"Ellie's trusting, she's always seen the good in people-"

"That's not gonna change." Sarah could tell where his mind was headed. He had saved Ellie's life, but he was terrified of the unknown, of the long-term effects this day might have on her.

"Look, you guys went though a lot, but Ellie's tougher than you think," Sarah reminded him. "She did a number on a few of those guys."

"And they almost killed her for it."

"But they didn't," she said gently. "Dugan got more than he bargained for with both of you. And it might take a little while, but your sister will be fine Chuck, I swear."

And Sarah knew that's all he really cared about. Chuck just wanted Ellie to be the same person. He wanted her to laugh and smile and be happy again.

Sarah understood those feelings of course. She could still recall sitting on a beach with Chuck after their first mission. She'd been so sure that she'd ruined his life, that she'd somehow altered his sweet personality. But he still laughed and he still smiled. And on most days he was the happiest person she'd ever met.

"You did really well out there." She nudged him, trying to regain his attention. If only he understood how proud she was of all he'd accomplished. He'd done his job, he'd kept his family intact. Sarah's heart sank a little… and here they were ready to take that away from him. It seemed terribly unfair.

Beside her, Chuck was shaking his head. His eyes were focused on some point in the distance. His mind was still on the mission, possibly the last mission they'd ever work on together.

"I was stupid," he muttered. "I thought I could save her all by myself."

"Chuck-"

"How did you guys even find me?" He turned to her suddenly, the confusion etched on his face. "It's like you just appeared out of nowhere."

Sarah bit her lip. She hadn't given much thought to how she should answer this. Her pause didn't make Chuck feel any better. He was regarding her with increasing dismay.

"You saw that thing with the courier, didn't you?"

"Hoyt saw it," Sarah chose her words carefully, making sure she didn't give away too many details. "I'd already tapped the Buy More phone. Hoyt must have heard the location."

"You didn't tell him?"

"No." At least that part wasn't a lie. "But once we learned where you were going-"

"You came too."

"Of course we did."

She'd gone against a direct order and barely even thought twice about it. In fact it was the easiest decision she'd ever made.

"Chuck, there was no way you were going in there alone."

It was her job afterall, to protect the Intersect at all costs. That's what she'd been telling herself on the way to the ship. And that's how she'd defended her actions to Beckman. She took her work seriously and her role as bodyguard for the nation's greatest piece of intelligence was hugely important. It was a prestigious assignment and she'd long considered it an honor to be here.

But as Sarah stared at Chuck under the soft lights of the courtyard, she realized that the Intersect rarely factored into her plans anymore. It hadn't for a long, long time. When she'd raced through that building dodging bad guys, it hadn't been for the computer that had brought her to Burbank. And once the shooting had started, she couldn't have cared less if Dugan had escaped.

Somewhere along the way, Sarah's priorities had shifted. It had been a slow process, one she'd barely acknowledged. It had started months, maybe even years ago. And now as she retraced her steps through out the day the pattern became clear. The Intersect, the bad guys, the card, those were the things she should have been focused on. They were the reasons she didn't get hugs and kisses and birthday parties. They were the building blocks for the lonely little world that she lived in, the one that kept her separate from everyone else. But the longer she sat there, the more it dawned on her… back on that ship, when it had really mattered, they had also been the last things on her mind.

* * *

Chuck hated that he'd gone to that ship without Sarah. It was just one of the many mistakes he'd made. Devon was right, both he and Ellie had other people in their lives now. And Chuck should have known better than to cut them out of his plans, especially today.

"Sarah I'm sorry, I should have told you where I was going."

He kept waiting for her face to screw up in annoyance. No one did annoyed better than Sarah and this situation certainly called for it. Chuck had gone off mission and put them all in danger. At the very least he deserved a wicked side eye. But Sarah's expression fell somewhere between guarded and wistful.

"Chuck, it's okay."

"No, it's not." He wanted so much to explain this to her. "It's just with Ellie…" he trailed off, struggling to put his thoughts into words. He and Sarah had chosen very different ways of coping with their tumultuous childhoods. She'd spent all of her time trying to avoid attachments, while he'd done just the opposite with the few people who had bothered to stay in his life.

"Sarah, my sister was my only family for a really long time." He hoped that she could appreciate where he was coming from. "I mean I had Morgan and a few other friends, but Ellie was the one who watched out for me. And I watched out for her. That's all we had. So when it comes to her life-"

"It's hard to trust someone else with it."

"Yeah," Chuck continued, buoyed by Sarah's apparent understanding. "And after everything that happened today, you guys nearly getting blown up, risking your careers … it just seemed like she was my responsibility again, you know? It was _my_ job to take care of her, no matter what. All the rest of the stuff, the rules, the mission…"

"It wasn't important."

Sarah's voice faltered as she finished his sentence. Her gaze traveled down to the ground and her body became perfectly still. Clearly something was weighing on her.

"Sarah, _you_ were important," Chuck was suddenly unsure of himself. Somewhere along the way this conversation had gone off track. "I mean you are," he tried again. "You always will be."

Sarah was blinking now and Chuck could see her eyes starting to water.

"Sarah?"

"Sorry." She shook her head quickly. "It's just something Casey said."

Casey? Chuck managed to hide his surprise. He was relieved that he wasn't the cause of her tears. But at the same time he couldn't stand to see her like this.

"Well if it's any consolation," he gently took her hand, trying to lighten the mood. "Casey sometimes makes me cry too."

The color instantly came up in her cheeks. She pressed her lips together, her embarrassment obvious. Sarah Walker wasn't used to showing emotion.

"Hey, it's okay." Chuck knew better than to push her on this. "We don't have to talk about it."

"Chuck, wait…."

Sarah hesitated. He realized that she hadn't pulled her hand away yet.

"I get it. I understand why you did what you did." Her eyes were still shiny with tears. But there was no sadness. She looked content, happy even. "That person you care about, the one you want to help and protect all the time? For me, you're it. You're the reason I'm here, Chuck. And you're the reason I won't ever leave."

She gave him the tiniest smile, ever hopeful, like a child daring him to dash her dream.

"Everybody needs someone, right?"

Chuck sucked in his breath, wanting so badly to respond. But he was too stunned by this unexpected turn of events. He needed time to process what Sarah had said. So as his mind scrambled to make sense of it all, he seized upon a single question. _How in the world did Casey inspire this? _He tried to picture their gruff partner giving lectures on love and loyalty. It didn't fit. But then again neither did this scenario, sitting here with a girl he adored, suddenly feeling such joy on what was arguably the worst day of his life.

He truly loved Sarah. From the second he'd met her there had been a connection. She was smart, beautiful, one of the most incredible people he'd ever met. And yeah, there was an undeniable chemistry between them. But this moment, it went way beyond that. This wasn't about flirtatious looks or deeply buried passion. This was something else, something deeper and more meaningful.

"Chuck, I will always be here." She spoke those words with such sincerity that he couldn't help but love her just a little bit more.

"I'll be here for you and for Ellie and for anyone else that you care about. It doesn't matter what the orders are or how many rules I have to break."

She gave his hand one gentle squeeze.

"You guys aren't on your own anymore."

Chuck allowed his fingers to interlace with hers. Everything had gone quiet except for the gentle gurgling of the fountain behind him. It was a nice sound, peaceful even, far from the gunshots that still rang through his head. Whatever happened with them in the coming months, Chuck realized that Sarah meant what she said. Maybe they would just stay friends, maybe they would move on to something more. But one way or the other, she was here to stay. And for that he was immensely grateful.

"Sarah Walker," Chuck's voice finally came back to him. "You're kind of amazing, you know that?"

"You're amazing too." Her smiled brightened, just for a second. But then it slowly started to fade. Reality was setting in once more, bursting that magical bubble they'd created. There was still a lot of damage to deal with, a lot of debris to sift through. Sarah reluctantly pulled her hand away as tiny worry lines began to form on her face. "And I'm really sorry about what happened today."

"We'll be okay," Chuck assured her, trying to force himself to believe it.

"We will," she said softly. "But there are some things that we need to talk about now."

"Like what?"

Sarah shifted her weight, looking more and more uncomfortable as the seconds ticked by.

"Like that memory card."

The card... Chuck had somehow forgotten about it. That seemed insane, considering how significant it had been to his original mission and how much he'd agonized over what he should do with it. But after scaling buildings and facing down death, his brain had apparently shut itself down. The card had slipped his mind. A horrible weapon capable of mass murder had actually slipped his mind.

"I know Dugan never got it," Sarah pressed on. "But I need to know if it went to the ship with you."

Chuck really didn't want to deal with this now. That tiny card had nearly destroyed his life. He'd been forced to make a decision, a terrible decision he wouldn't wish upon anyone. Keep the card as a bargaining chip and risk it falling into Dugan's hands or destroy it outright and pray that he could save his sister without it. And now when the decision was made, now when it was finally over, here came the questions. He certainly didn't blame Sarah for asking, she had a right to know what had become of that card. But he worried about what his team would think of him, or what Ellie would think of him should she ever found out.

"Chuck, whatever you did it was the right thing."

He could hear Sarah's voice, gently pushing through his thoughts.

"How do you know?" Chuck wasn't even sure what the right thing would've been. But Sarah seemed to have faith in his choice, even if she didn't yet know what it was.

"Because we're here."

For her it was simple. They were back in the courtyard, just where they were supposed to be, surrounded by all the people they cared about.

"There were thousands of lives at stake," she continued. "But Ellie came home and Dugan is dead. And the card…"

"The card," he sighed.

The truth was he hadn't been able to choose, not between Ellie and the world. Ellie, Sarah, these people he spent every day with, they were his world, there was no weighing their lives against anything. Chuck would have gladly handed Dugan whatever he'd asked for just to bring Ellie home safely. But he had also realized how selfish that was, to risk thousands of people for her.

"Chuck, this is me." Sarah leaned in closer, her arm brushing his. "I just need to know what happened. You can trust me with this."

She was right of course. He'd made the mistake of going to that ship without her, but this was Sarah. He could tell her anything, even his darkest secrets. And he knew, without a doubt, that she would accept his decision, without anger or judgment. She would understand, because somewhere along the way, she'd made an equally tough decision of her own. No matter what he said now, she would still be here in the morning. Sarah Walker was his partner, his friend. There was no way on Earth she would ever betray him.

* * *

**_Author's Note: Phew, sorry it's taken so long to get back to this. I hope it was worth the wait. Please, PLEASE review if you can. There aren't that many chapters left so it's nice to hear from people who've invested their time in this. I know it's a longer story and I'm so happy that you've stuck with it. Thanks guys! :)_**


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: And I'm back. Sorry again for taking so long to update! I'm not sure how many of you were waiting, but for those of you who've been following along I apologize. It's been a busy month. I also have a bad habit of trying to upload just when this site is undergoing maintenance. Oops. Thanks so much for hanging in there. Hopefully you're enjoying the story! As always, if you could review, that would be awesome!_

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Twelve**

He'd started the story from the very beginning, back when they'd parted ways down in Castle. It was a struggle of course. The memories were still fresh and very painful. But as Sarah waited patiently Chuck described the call from Dugan, the confrontation with Jansen and of course that moment when he'd first held the card in the palm of his hand. Behind a restaurant, three feet from a dumpster, Chuck had made one of the toughest decisions of his life.

It was funny, but Sarah wasn't at all surprised by the choice that he'd made. Maybe she should have been, maybe other people would be. But in the end it confirmed exactly what she already knew. None of this had changed him. Chuck was the same guy she'd first met long ago at the Buy More. He took his job seriously, he loved his family dearly. And he'd done the best that he could with the cards he'd been dealt.

"I'll explain everything to Beckman tomorrow." Sarah kept her expression neutral. But inside she was relieved, maybe even a tad overjoyed, because she'd figured out the final chapter in this story. And it would be a happy one.

Sitting here earlier, listening to Chuck describe his relationship with Ellie, his family, what it meant to him, she'd realized how much she wanted that too. Casey talked about their isolation with pride, making it seem like they were the lucky ones. But he was wrong. Just to have someone to worry about, to sacrifice everything for, that in and of itself was a wonderful gift. It was a gift Chuck had been given. And now, slowly but surely he'd passed it along to her.

Sarah was glad she'd discovered the card's final whereabouts. But even before Chuck had confided in her, she'd known that he wasn't going anywhere. And neither was she. Beckman had her rules and Sarah could certainly play by them. But this family wasn't splitting up. She'd decided that half an hour ago. And if there had ever been even the tiniest flicker of doubt, it had just been erased.

She glanced over at Chuck. He didn't know anything about Beckman or the reassignment or Hoyt and his god-awful plan. But still he seemed pensive. He was peering over her shoulder at Ellie's door. And Sarah began to understand what had happened. Re-telling the story in grueling detail had caused all that guilt to come rushing back. He couldn't see the danger they'd just swerved around. All he could see was the problem right in front of him.

"I have no idea how to face her, Sarah."

His voice was barely above a whisper. God, she hated that he was so sad, especially now, when she'd just found the light at the end of the tunnel.

"I mean sooner or later I'll have to go back in there…" he trailed off. "And Ellie's gonna have all these questions."

"You said you guys talked on the way to the hospital."

"We did, a little. But mostly about how much she didn't want to go."

Chuck finally tore his gaze from the door. There was no mistaking the pain in his eyes. Seeing his big sister so vulnerable hadn't been easy.

"Ellie hates hospitals," he explained. "Being sick scares her."

"Chuck, this wasn't your fault." Sarah wanted to hug him, but instead she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. "Besides, Ellie doesn't know why Dugan really targeted you."

"But maybe she should."

Sarah saw his lips move, saw the words come out of his mouth and still she wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"I think maybe it's time to tell Ellie the truth."

It was clear that Chuck had been considering this for a while. There was no stammering, no hand wringing, just a simple statement that could shift everything around.

"What do you think?"

Chuck was watching her carefully, waiting for some kind of response. Sarah was struggling to come up with one. At first glance it seemed like a terrible idea. Sometimes there was a good reason to lie and protecting someone you loved had to be the best reason of all. No one knew that better than Sarah, especially now. Still, the situation with Ellie was unique and rather complicated.

"Is that crazy?"

"It's not crazy," Sarah said slowly, her mind still spinning. "It's not crazy at all."

She knew it wasn't fair for her to weigh in on this. She and her bosses had taken this decision out of Chuck's hands long ago. They had basically forced him to keep his spy life a secret, telling him all the awful things that could happen if he didn't. Well one of those awful things had just come to pass. So now it was up to him.

Sarah was through letting the government determine Chuck's fate. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let them make a decision for Ellie.

"Do what you think is right, Chuck." It was the best answer she could give, the only one that made sense. "For both of you."

"What I think is right…"

Chuck let out a long sigh. This was a big step, one that would affect both his sister and his team. She could see the anxiety beginning to take hold of him.

"Beckman won't be happy." He stood abruptly, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Between this and what happened on that ship, I'll be amazed if she doesn't fire me now."

That was no longer a possibility. Sarah might not be able to help him with Ellie, but she could certainly take care of things back in Castle.

"Listen, don't think about the ship and don't think about the card," Sarah stood up beside him. "If anyone asks you about it just tell them what we talked about. You did the right thing."

"And Ellie?"

"Just be sure before you tell her, Chuck."

This seemed to be the day for life changing decisions, but they couldn't afford to make a mistake here. Ellie's world had already been rocked pretty violently. This would have to be handled with the utmost care.

"Once it's done you can't take it back."

She realized he hadn't even gotten to change his clothes yet. Streaks of dust and grime lined his shirt, a silent reminder of the time he'd spent hugging the side of a ship. If he could make it through that then leveling with Ellie shouldn't be too difficult. But if it was at all possible Chuck was even more frightened now.

"What about Hoyt?" He was starting to see more complications in his grand plan. "He was evaluating us. Sarah, I don't want this to get you in trouble."

"It won't." Sarah reached over to fix one of his buttons. It was an automatic response, from all those hours she'd spent preparing him for missions. But this time her fingers lingered a bit as she smoothed out his shirt. "You take care of your family, I'll take care of everyone else."

Before she knew what was happening, Chuck had pulled her into a hug. He smelled sweet, like the shampoo he'd adopted when Ellie had moved out. She could feel his warm breath as he spoke softly in her ear.

"You're a part of this too, you know that right?" he whispered. "We wouldn't be here without you."

Sarah gladly returned the hug. She'd never felt so close to anyone in her life. From a truly awful day had come this one perfect moment. And Sarah Walker realized that she was genuinely happy. For once she didn't feel like a stranger in someone else's world. She was accepted here, welcomed even.

"Thanks." She finally let go of him. It wasn't easy, but there would be other moments. They had plenty of time. "You'd better go in and see Ellie."

Chuck's lips curled up into a nervous smile.

"It's gonna be fine right?"

"Absolutely." Sarah smiled back at him, feeling totally confident for the first time that day.

"It's gonna be fine."

* * *

Casey hit the brakes on the Crown Vic then threw it into park behind his apartment building. He hadn't quite made it between the lines and normally that would have bothered him, what with the crazy neighbor who had a knack for denting his baby. But unfortunately he was in a bit of a hurry. As he jogged towards the empty courtyard he ran a hand over the Vic's hood and promised to come back for her. He just had one thing that he needed to do first.

"Come on Walker," Casey muttered. He dialed his iPhone for the third time, but his partner didn't pick up. Happily he knew exactly where to search for her. There was always one spot he checked first.

Casey glanced around the courtyard to see if anyone was watching then quietly slipped through Chuck's window. His room was empty. But someone was definitely in the apartment. He could hear muffled sounds out in the living room.

"What the hell?"

It was Sarah. There was a loud series of pops and then one big crash. Crap. Casey quickly yanked the gun from his holster. Something was wrong. His first thought was Hoyt, but there was no way that idiot would come back for more.

"What are you doing?"

More crashing, something dropped to the floor. His partner was usually calm and collected in bad situations, but now she sounded anxious, maybe even scared. Casey crept down the hall, gun raised, finger on the trigger. He knew that a few of Dugan's men had escaped. Maybe they still wanted the card. It would make quite the prize, the perfect way to rebuild their evil empire. Too bad no one realized that it was long gone.

Casey paused as everything went silent. He flattened himself against the wall just shy of the kitchen and waited, straining to hear the tiniest movement. 5…4…3…2… One more pop, louder this time.

"Walker get down!"

Casey charged into the kitchen. Sarah threw herself to the floor as he spun around, gun at ready, searching desperately for her assailant. But he couldn't see anyone. All of Bartowski's furniture and knick knacks were blocking his view. Who used game controllers as decorations anyway? One simple bonsai was all Casey needed.

"Dammit!" He ducked behind the counter and crouched down next to Sarah. "Where is he?"

She lifted her head slowly, completely bewildered. It was only then that he noticed a large bowl of pasta sauce that had splattered beside her, covering her shirt in a splash of red.

"Where's who?" she whispered. "What are you-"

A long beep interrupted her and as Casey turned he saw the microwave sitting innocently in the corner. _Sonofabitch…_ He cursed under his breath, feeling utterly ridiculous. Somebody's meal had exploded inside it. A small, half melted container bounced one more time, letting out a loud pop and a bit more goop that he couldn't quite identify.

"Are you kidding me with this?" He holstered his weapon as he stood then reached to open the microwave door. The stench of burnt plastic filled the room instantly. "You were yelling at the microwave?"

"Casey you talk to your car," Sarah straightened beside him. "It's actually uncomfortable sitting with the two of you."

Casey frowned, eager to let that subject die right there. He leaned over to examine what was left of her creation.

"Did you leave the lid on or something?"

"I guess so." She swiped a stray lock of hair from her eyes as she glanced from him to the microwave. "Wasn't I supposed to?"

Casey shot her a pointed look. His training hadn't included cooking courses. Casey's abilities only extended to frozen burritos. He had blown up a few of those in his time, but that was another topic that they didn't need to broach.

"What the hell were you doing?" He stepped around the overturned bowl. "I thought someone was trying to kill you."

"That's ridiculous." Sarah regarded him like he was the crazy one. Meanwhile, here she was playing happy homemaker. Her knife collection, usually hidden in various articles of clothing, was now laid out on the counter ready to go. "I was trying to cook dinner."

There was a long, long pause as Casey stopped to consider that.

"You were trying to cook dinner?" He dared not laugh with those knives so close, but his amusement must have been evident. Sarah scowled, the smoke from her ill-fated meal still swirling around them.

"Morgan volunteered to make something for everybody," she explained. "But then he went out to get drinks so I offered to help-"

"You were trying to cook dinner?"

It bared repeating and this time Casey couldn't hide his smirk. The kitchen was not the place for Sarah Walker and they both knew it. She'd probably been trained in a few dishes here or there. Occasionally a cover might require that, but a full on dinner? It simply wasn't going to happen. Home cooked meals, sitting around a table while people chatted about their boring days, these things were for normal people. Most of Sarah's evenings were spent hunting terrorists.

"I was trying to do something nice for Ellie," she sighed. She seemed genuinely disappointed by her domestic failure.

"You mean something besides saving her life?"

"I mean something besides starting knife fights and gun battles, yes."

"Well you're better at those," Casey couldn't help but needle her just a little bit more. "Stick to what you know, Walker. You're good at it."

Sarah gave him a half smile as she reached into the microwave. He had no idea what she'd been cooking, but as he watched she stuck her finger into the mangled container, then brought it to her lips.

"It's actually not bad." She held the container out to him. "You feeling brave?"

"Not brave enough." Casey didn't bother to hide his disgust. Sarah rolled her eyes and glanced down at the nasty looking substance she'd concocted.

"God, I really suck at this, don't I?"

Casey took the container from her and tossed the whole thing into the trash.

"You really do."

"Okay then," Sarah wasn't ready to object too strenuously, but clearly he'd caught her off guard. "Your constructive criticism is appreciated."

"Sorry." Casey shrugged. He wasn't really. Truth be told, he was pleased to be able to stop this disaster. The Bartowski family had suffered enough for one day. Surely Ellie didn't need to come down with food poisoning as well.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Sarah reached for a pot on the stove. Not surprisingly it had begun to bubble over, spewing some beige substance all over the place. "I'm guessing you didn't come for this wonderful dinner."

She was right about that. He'd come over for something much more important. It was odd that she hadn't brought it up yet. Even with his dramatic entrance and her dinner distractions…

"Come on Walker." He reached into his pocket and slid out his phone, holding it up for her to see. "You know why I'm here."

Her text message was on full display. Obviously she'd read it before, she was the one who'd sent it. Still, he needed to know if she was sure about this.

"What does it mean?"

He'd prepared himself for some big response. He'd literally come racing over here to talk to her, expecting… well something. Certainly not cooking, but something more than a casual glance at the screen.

"The decoy card is gone," she said simply, repeating exactly what she'd told him in the text message. "Chuck thought it was the real one and he couldn't give it to Dugan."

It was a huge deal. But still she couldn't tear herself away from her pot of beige goo. She was playing it cool, maybe a little too cool for his liking.

"Okay." Casey moved on to the next logical question, the one that Sarah should have been itching to answer. "So when did he destroy it?"

The timing was significant here. An hour either way could make a big difference to their boss. Beckman had made it very clear where the line was.

"It was gone before he ever got to the ship."

Sarah added some salt to her mess then turned to face Casey. As much as she tried to hide it, she was obviously pleased. This was exactly what she'd told Beckman back at Castle, that they shouldn't judge Chuck before all of the facts came out. Because if these facts were true then the general had been wrong about him. And surely Beckman would have to reconsider her plans.

But still… Casey wondered. It was obvious that Sarah had grown closer to Chuck and he knew she'd been upset about the prospect of leaving. There was something else going on here, something she wasn't telling him.

Casey backed out of the kitchen then started down the hallway towards Morgan's room. He needed to be sure that they were alone. Sarah hurried to follow him, abandoning the dinner she'd been working so hard on.

"Casey, where are you going?"

He stuck his head into the closet, then the bathroom. Currently there was no sound on the apartment cameras, he'd switched it off earlier. It had been a temporary measure, brought on in part by Morgan's drunken singing the previous night. If some poor guy ever had to run through the footage, Casey didn't want him subjected to that, especially if he was the poor guy who got stuck with the job. Of course, with everything that had happened since then, Casey had neglected to switch the sound on again. And now he was glad.

"Are you sure he destroyed it?"

They had finally landed in Chuck's room. This might be their only real chance to talk and Casey wanted the truth. This affected him too.

"Of course he destroyed it." Sarah planted herself in the doorway, effectively blocking his exit. "Chuck knew how many lives were at stake. He did what any spy would do."

"Bartowski never does what any spy would do."

"Well this time he did." Sarah crossed her arms. She was trying hard not to let him offend her, but Casey was intentionally pushing her buttons, they both knew it.

"There's no reason for Beckman to reassign him." For her that was it. It was the only part that mattered. "Chuck might have gone out on his own, but Dugan was never gonna get that card."

An uneasy silence fell over the room as Casey stood there, trying to read her. He had known Sarah Walker for three years now. They'd been working side by side and had saved each other's lives on multiple occasions. She was smart, fought hard and he trusted her deeply. But he was well aware that she could lie right to his face without so much as a second thought.

"So while his sister was locked away in that ship," Casey said slowly. "Our boy destroyed the only thing that could get her back?"

"Come on Casey." Sarah looked him straight in the eye. "We all know Dugan would've killed Ellie whether he got that card or not. Jansen told him what was on it and Chuck couldn't hand it over."

"He wouldn't risk Ellie."

That was the only thing here that Casey was absolutely sure of.

"He didn't," Sarah said firmly. "Chuck saved her. He just didn't need the card to do it."

"You're telling me he didn't keep it as some sort of a back up plan?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Whether it was true or not, Sarah was sticking to her story. "He grabbed Dugan and tried to make a trade. If our radios hadn't triggered the bomb his plan probably would have worked."

Sarah must have realized how easily he could ruin this for them. Whether or not she was lying, and he still couldn't tell either way, one word from Casey to the General and Chuck would be whisked away forever, no goodbyes, no hugs, no nothing. Forget the Buy More and Morgan and Ellie, Chuck would simply disappear leaving Casey to fake his death and Sarah to comfort the grieving people left behind. It was an ugly scenario, but he'd seen it before. Sarah had too and that was the problem.

"Casey, he was incredible out there," she started again, her attempts to persuade him sounding a little more desperate. "You and I both know that."

"But if he took that card-"

"He didn't," she insisted. "Chuck went to that ship with a plan. And he was brave and resourceful. He was staring down one the most dangerous men in the world and he didn't even blink."

"What's your point, Walker?"

"My point is that Chuck fought harder _because_ it was Ellie, because that's how much he loves her." Sarah's tough spy girl persona had disappeared completely now, exchanged for one that was achingly human. "So maybe they call that a liability, but I call it a strength."

Casey wanted to call it stupidity, but the more he thought about it, the more he could see that she was right. Chuck had been a different man out there, surprisingly cool all things considered and ready to sacrifice his own life if he had to. Whatever the status of that pain in the ass card, he'd been exactly the spy they'd always pushed him to be.

"This is crazy." Casey dropped down in the desk chair. He was annoyed at his partner, mostly because her words were starting to make sense. "You two had one of your special courtyard conversations didn't you?" He reached to boot up Chuck's computer. "The kind where you think no one can hear you?"

"What are you doing?" Sarah took a step closer. That was all the answer he needed.

Casey went to work on the keyboard. Chuck's log in screen came up and he typed in the password without a second thought. HanSolo of course. He'd figured that out two days after meeting Chuck.

"Casey, what are you doing?" Sarah asked again. He could feel her hovering behind him as his fingers flew across the keys.

"I'm logging into our surveillance system. The apartment cameras might not have sound, but the courtyard…" he let the implication hang in the air.

Sarah finally broke. Her face went white and her jaw dropped, just a bit, not so much that other people would notice. But Casey did.

"I'm your partner-" he stopped and reconsidered his words. "I'm his partner too."

"Casey you can't watch this." She reached for the keyboard, but he nudged her aside. "It's private."

"What, did you two profess your love for each other?" He smiled, waiting to see her expression. She didn't appear angry, just embarrassed. Oh god, he might have hit the nail on the head.

"Oh, come on Walker."

"It's not what you think," Sarah was adamant. "It's not anything like that. But Chuck said some things he probably wouldn't want you to hear."

Casey raised an eyebrow as he shuttled through the footage. Just as he'd suspected Sarah and Chuck were in their usual positions by the fountain. The truth was right there, hidden under the chipmunk sounds they were currently making.

"And what about you, Walker?" he asked. "Anything you don't want me to hear?"

Sarah refused to answer. Casey stopped shuttling and the video paused. There it was, the two of them staring at each other like a pair of star crossed lovers. Hell, Chuck was even holding her hand. And as he examined that single frame of video, Casey came to an important realization.

Sarah Walker was still a spy, a great one at that, but she had other loyalties now. Spending all of this time with these people, this family, it had changed her. And it was entirely possible that she had been honest with him. Maybe Chuck really had gotten rid of that card, maybe he'd really believed that he could save Ellie without it. But if he'd kept the card then Sarah was going to do everything in her power to cover it up.

"You know what happens if they find out you're lying, right?" Casey glanced over at her. It was a question, but also a warning. Sarah's entire conversation with Chuck was there on that video. It could cost her everything. "We wouldn't just be talking about reassignment then."

"The card's gone," her voice wavered a bit as she fought to maintain some semblance of control. "He didn't do anything wrong Casey."

"I'm sure that depends on who you ask."

Sarah shook her head, then slowly lowered herself onto Chuck's bed. One of his goofy T-shirts had been tossed on the comforter. She picked it up, her fingers tracing the logo on the front.

"Look, I know you don't like Burbank," she sighed. "But Chuck needs this. It's his home."

And it was becoming more and more apparent that it was her home as well. It was almost shocking how easily she seemed to fit in here now. She sure as hell couldn't make dinner, but she was trying.

For Casey it was different. The Buy More was hideous, his so-called co-workers were morons and he'd happily take a cave in Afghanistan over his cushy apartment. Still, there were some things he had grown used to over the years. And though he might never say it out loud, this was a good team, one of the best.

"You saw everything we went through today." The shirt crumpled up in Sarah's hands as she recalled all of the events that had led them here. "Don't you think it's easier to fight when there's something worth fighting for?"

"You think he's worth fighting for?" Casey wanted to hear her say it, to know if she'd really thought this through. But Sarah wasn't quite ready for that. Her shoulders slumped as she finally looked up at him.

"I was talking about Chuck and Ellie."

Casey knew she was talking about a lot more than that. Chuck worshiped her. He had since day one of this mission. And Sarah… even if she hadn't fallen quite as fast, she'd obviously fallen just as hard.

Casey tapped one finger lightly on the keyboard as he dared himself to press play on that video. He knew he'd be intruding on a private moment, one Sarah clearly didn't want him to see. This was important though. These were his people and what they did affected his future just as much as it did their own. If she had lied then he'd have to report it. He had a duty to his country.

He glanced back at Sarah… but the truth was he also had a duty to her. They'd been together in this from the very beginning.

Sarah was watching him intently, waiting to see what he would do. But her expression wasn't one of fear, it was one of trust. She'd placed her life in his hands so many times and no matter what he decided now, she was done protesting. This was it. It was up to him.

Casey shook his head, cursing himself for ending up in this situation. He should have left well enough alone. But it was too late now. He knew what he had to do.

And with a single click the footage was gone.

Another few clicks and he'd easily replaced it. If anyone checked now all they would find was an empty courtyard.

Casey slowly turned back to Sarah. She was obviously grateful, though whether it was because he'd protected her job or just her privacy he couldn't be sure.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Casey nodded and leaned forward just the tiniest bit.

"For the record Walker," Casey made sure their eyes met. He was only going to say this once. "If you'd been the one stuck on that ship, you know damn well he would have fought just as hard."

Sarah suppressed a smile but before she could respond Casey lifted his hand. There was no sense getting into a long gushy conversation about family and friendship and love. Maybe it was an asset, maybe it was a liability more likely it was both. But that's why they had a team, because when problems came up, when one teammate was compromised, or another lost his way, then they handled that together. They took care of each other. And in his rush to condemn them, that was the part Hoyt had missed.

"Bartowski's ass should've been in Castle waiting for us," Casey wasn't going to let that slide. "But he finally held a gun that didn't have a dart in it. Plus he faced down a bomb and I can respect that."

Sarah couldn't hide her grin any longer. She lit up like a schoolgirl on Valentine's Day.

"That was pretty impressive."

"Let's not get carried away," Casey muttered. Already he was on his way to the window. He needed to make his exit before this conversation turned any gooier. "Just be happy none of us died."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna tell Beckman the good news," Casey paused next to one of Chuck's ancient movie posters. All of this crazy nerd memorabilia… it made the kid's accomplishments seem all the more impressive somehow. "Our moron's no traitor."

"So you believe me?"

"We're partners Walker." And for that reason, it no longer seemed to matter what he believed. "You watch my back, I watch yours."

Sarah finally stood, her smile playful, teasing even.

"Everybody's got someone, right?"

Casey grunted as his own words came back to haunt him.

"Nice try. But the job's enough for me."

Sarah didn't seem the least bit convinced. She reached over to shut down the computer, pausing to admire the photo in the background. It was the one of Chuck and Sarah at Ellie's wedding.

"Trust me Casey." Her tone was still pleasant, but a little more serious. "Someday that will change."

Casey wasn't sure that he was ready for that. He wasn't the type of guy to get stuck in one place. He didn't decorate his apartment or cook dinner or become friendly with his neighbors. This was just an assignment. But then again, it had been his longest assignment yet.

"I'd better go." Casey quickly pulled back the curtain on the window. The courtyard outside was empty and he let himself out before she could stop him.

The night had turned decidedly cooler, but the fresh air felt good. He needed some time to himself now. It had been a long, long day. And tomorrow, tomorrow would bring a new set of challenges. He wasn't sure if Beckman would believe Sarah's story outright, so Casey would have to be ready to back up his partner at all costs. They had all made risky decisions today, but Casey found himself oddly at peace with his own. Burbank would be his home for a little while longer now. And somehow he could live with that.

As he made his way back to his apartment, he couldn't help but glance over at Ellie's door. He wondered what Chuck would say to her now. Would he finally come clean? Casey knew better than anyone how many lies Chuck had been forced into telling. And yes, at this point he'd even heard the "Casey as drunken imbecile" story that Chuck and Devon had come up with. It was stupid, but excusable. They'd had to do it to cover their tracks. So now Ellie avoided him in the courtyard and she never parked anywhere near the Crown Vic.

And yet when he'd fallen ill the previous month (with a stupid cold of all things) he'd opened his door to a pleasant surprise. There, in a non descript paper bag, a gigantic bowl of soup and a little "Feel Better!" post-it signed by the only Bartowski who knew how to cook. He'd made that soup last a week, but neither he nor Ellie had ever bothered to mention it.

Casey still didn't think of himself as one of those people who would compromise the important stuff. National security came first and he treated his work as a sacred duty. He did his best to live within the rules his job required.

And yet there was one thing he absolutely knew for a fact. If Ellie or Chuck or Sarah had died on this mission, then Hoyt would have died too. Agent or not, he never would have made it off of that ship. It was that simple. One way or the other, Casey would have ended him.

Maybe Sarah would call that caring. But for Casey it was just the way that things were now, one more sharp turn in a life that had been full of them. Burbank was certainly full of surprises. And worrying about these people, even when they were breaking the rules, even when he hadn't been ordered to do so, that had been the biggest surprise of all.

"Casey?"

Her voice startled him. He spun around, embarrassed that Sarah had caught him off guard. She was standing in the window, so at ease that those who didn't no better would assume that she lived there.

"Thanks again."

Casey dipped his head in acknowledgement, then realized that she probably couldn't see him that well. As usual he was hovering in the shadows, a habit that was hard to kick in his line of work. So she couldn't see his nod, nor could she see the tiny smile that crossed his face.

"Just make sure that thing is good and gone." He chose his words carefully, ever wary of what might be recorded.

"Don't worry," Sarah's expression gave nothing away. But Casey knew she was happy and for that he was glad.

"It's already taken care of."

* * *

**_ Thanks again for checking out this chapter! So what happened to the card? Feel free to post your theory in the reviews! For now that secret lives between Chuck and Sarah (oh and me)! :)_**


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I know it's been a long time since my last update. But I got a little caught up with other activities. Hopefully some of you are you still out there and ready to see how this story concludes (though we're not quite there yet!). This chapter was going to be lumped in with the next one, but since the last time I updated the site promptly crashed and I couldn't tell if anyone was actually reading, I figured I'd space out the ending a bit. :) If you read the previous chapter and tried to review but couldn't, now is the time to make up for it (pretty please! ). The story is almost over and I'd love to hear from you guys!_

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Thirteen**

The apartment was quiet. All of the lights in the living room shined brightly though. When he and Ellie had first come in she had insisted on turning each of them on as if that might prevent any more boogeymen from bothering them. If only it were that simple.

Chuck took a few tentative steps towards the couch where Ellie was laying, surprised to find that she had fallen asleep. Devon was upstairs, apparently arguing with someone on the phone. From what Chuck could gather, the hospital wanted Ellie back at work tomorrow and Devon was trying to explain why that wasn't going to happen.

Chuck knew his sister was brilliant and that her skills were in high demand. He was sure she had important meetings or research or consultations tomorrow. But he didn't care. There was no way in hell she was working. She was staying close to home at least until he knew that all of Dugan's people were locked up or dead. And if Devon didn't win his phone battle then Chuck would just have to pull a few strings. He probably didn't have a lot of favors to call in, but somehow he would make it happen.

_I owe you that much…_ Chuck reached to turn off the lamp above Ellie's head. She looked so peaceful now, hugging the pillow that Devon had brought down for her. It was as if the day's events had never occurred. He had planned to tell her the truth tonight. But at the same time he was relieved that he wouldn't get the chance. The conversation would have to wait just a little bit longer, as would the dinner Morgan had offered to make for them.

Chuck tried not to imagine his friend's disappointment as he grabbed a blanket from the chair. Poor Morgan… he'd wanted desperately to pitch in somehow. Little did he realize how much he'd already done for both Ellie and Chuck. He had blown a hole into Castle for crying out loud. Chuck allowed himself the tiniest smile as he thought about that.

Maybe someday, when the truth was out and the dust had settled, Ellie would realize just how many people had been fighting for her. And maybe that would make this all just a little bit easier. Perhaps then they could move on, just like Sarah had promised. _We'll get through this…_ He glanced down at Ellie again as he started to pull the blanket over her. _We have to._

And that's when she screamed.

Chuck jumped. His vision of a happy future, of a day when this event no longer haunted them, was instantly shattered. Ellie curled into a ball on the couch, huddled under the blanket her brother had dropped.

"Don't!" she cried. "Please stop!"

She sounded absolutely terrified. Chuck froze, his hands still hovering in the air just above her. Suddenly his heart was racing. It pounded in his chest just as it had back on the ship. He was scared to even get near her again, worried that he'd become just another monster in whatever awful dream she was having. But Ellie's eyes were still closed and he simply couldn't abandon her to her nightmares.

"Ellie?" He reached over and shook her ever so gently. "Sis, come on wake up."

She thrashed again violently and he nearly tripped over the coffee table to avoid getting kicked.

"Ellie, wake up!"

She didn't seem to hear him. Chuck swallowed and whispered a heartfelt apology. Then in one swift motion he reached down and ripped the pillow away from her. Ellie shrieked and sat bolt upright as Chuck dropped down beside her.

"Ellie, you're fine." He hugged her tightly as she gasped for air. "You're home, you're safe."

She didn't respond for a long, long moment. Finally he heard her mumbling into his shirt.

"Chuck, what happened?"

There were a lot of answers to that question, but since Ellie was still clinging to him like he might disappear at any second, Chuck decided on the simplest one.

"It was just a bad dream."

"El?" Apparently Devon had heard the commotion.

"She's okay, Devon."

Chuck took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of calm. He had to be the strong one here. It took a few more seconds and some gentle coaxing, but finally Ellie was able to let go of him. He ducked his head a little, making sure their eyes met.

"You're okay, aren't you?"

She nodded, but Chuck could see that something was wrong. He wasn't the person that she needed right now.

"Devon," he called back upstairs. "Maybe you should talk to the hospital later."

The light on the phone base instantly went off. Devon appeared within seconds and Chuck stood, allowing him to take a seat next to Ellie.

"Babe, you alright?" Devon pulled the blanket up over both of them. Chuck took a step back as Ellie nodded again.

"I'm sorry." She seemed embarrassed now with two sets of eyes on her.

"Don't be." Devon put his arm around her as she leaned in closer. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

Chuck suddenly felt like an outsider. Ellie's nightmare had shaken what little confidence he'd managed to gather and now he was unsure of what to do next. On one hand he wanted to leave, to give them their space. On the other hand, he wanted to tell his sister everything, to confess the truth and beg her forgiveness. This was his fault. He was the only one who needed to be sorry here.

Devon was watching him carefully, resentful of the intrusion. Chuck hadn't given him much time to regroup since their last conversation. Clearly Devon wasn't over it yet.

"I got this." He couldn't quite hide his irritation. "Maybe you should go now, Chuck."

"Devon…" Ellie's expression changed immediately as she straightened a little. Her husband's strange behavior wasn't going unnoticed. And now that Ellie was fully awake, her protective side had begun to come out.

"Why are you being so mean to him?"

"El, I'm not."

"Yes you are." Ellie wasn't stupid, she knew something was off. Devon and Chuck had always been friends. "What's going on with you guys?"

Chuck and Devon glanced at each other. This wasn't the first time that Ellie had asked this question. And normally they'd be a united front, scrambling to come up with a believable story. But Devon wasn't having any of it, not this time.

"Ellie, it's me," Chuck finally came out with it. He was tired of lying. And besides, he couldn't let Devon take the blame for this. He had every right to be upset. It was time to come clean. "I'm the one who should apologize."

Devon's eyes widened as he realized where this conversation was headed. He'd been advocating for this moment from the very beginning, but suddenly he seemed uncertain. Everything was coming at him too quickly. Chuck felt bad about that, but he felt much, much worse about lying to his sister.

"Chuck, what are you talking about?" Ellie was clearly confused. Devon's anger, Chuck's guilt, none of it made any sense, at least not yet. But all of that was about to change.

Chuck tried to swallow. His throat felt so dry. He'd envisioned this moment so many times, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this. He'd planned to make dinner for his sister, or take her to the beach or the pier, or any number of places that he knew she would like. He would then calmly explain his job, who Sarah and Casey were how Morgan and Devon fit into the story…

And then would come the promise, that there was absolutely nothing to worry about. They were safe. They'd be just fine. But now here he was, just hours removed from their near death experience. And Chuck could barely breathe.

"Chuck, seriously, what's wrong?" Ellie was regarding him with increasing concern.

"What's wrong?" Chuck repeated the question. He could almost see the humor in it, almost. Everything had been building up to this point, that was obvious now. All of the lies and the secrets, this is where it had gotten him.

"What isn't wrong?" His face grew warm. It felt as if a giant weight was pressing down on his chest. "Starting with the fact that I got you into a pretty horrible situation, on your birthday no less. I lied to a lot of people, I didn't tell your husband-"

He looked over at his brother-in-law who was eyeing him warily.

"Devon, you have no idea how sorry I am, for everything," he rushed ahead, trying to get this out before he lost his nerve. "You were right, I should have called you-"

"Chuck-" Ellie cut him off before the groveling became too much to bear. "You don't have to apologize."

"No, Ellie, you could've really been hurt today. You could've been killed." He lowered himself into the chair just beside her. "I am your brother. And brothers protect their sisters, it's part of the job."

"But none of this was your fault," she insisted. Her belief in him was almost maddening. "There's no way you could have known what was going to happen."

And that's where she was wrong.

Devon leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Chuck had his full attention now, Ellie's too. They were both hanging on every horrible word. Chuck suddenly wished he was somewhere else, anywhere else.

"El, I knew those guys were dangerous days ago and the memory card…" He sighed, watching as she struggled to put the pieces together. He wondered if she'd hate him for this. "I knew things might get really bad last night, for me at least. But I never meant for you to get involved."

Devon reached over and rubbed her back gently as Chuck forced himself to continue.

"There are things you don't know about me."

"What kind of things?" Her voice dropped a bit. And there it was, the big sister worry. It was one of Ellie's defining traits and Chuck loved her for it. But now it was only making this harder.

"Are you in trouble?"

Devon couldn't stay quiet any longer, not when Ellie was so obviously lost.

"Babe, Chuck's not in trouble."

"I'm not El, I promise." She seemed to relax just a little, but Chuck knew the worst was yet to come. "And I wasn't doing anything wrong. But I knew about the memory card and there were other people who knew…"

He trailed off, barely able to look at her now. Even Devon had averted his eyes. But Ellie wasn't about to let this go. She stared at Chuck intently, trying to grasp what he was saying. And then suddenly something clicked into place.

"You were going to stop those guys, weren't you?" She started slowly, but the words came out faster as she seized upon an explanation that finally made sense. "You found something bad on that card and called the police. That's why they came after us."

Devon stood abruptly, pushing the blanket over to Ellie. She barely seemed to notice as he walked behind the couch, his hands on his hips. He was fighting valiantly to keep a lid on his emotions and he wasn't about to let Ellie see that. She had enough on her mind already.

"Guys, I'm sorry," Chuck said quietly.

His palms felt clammy and he rubbed them together, unsure of how to break the news. He had been lying to his sister for three years now. Forget everything else that had happened, that was the part that would hurt her the most. But Ellie was oblivious to all of this. The only thing she could see was her little brother's pain.

"This is really upsetting you, isn't it?"

Chuck let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. That might have been the biggest understatement of the year. His brain was filled with images of that tiny room and the bomb and the counter slowly ticking down and his sister… god his sister of all people, locked away, waiting to die. He dropped his face into his hands. He would have given anything to go back and trade places with her. He would happily take on the fear and the nightmares and everything else.

"Chuck," Ellie slid forward on the couch. "You know what? It doesn't matter."

"It does," he mumbled into his hands. "It really, really does."

"No, it doesn't."

She reached for his arm and he was forced to look up at her. Ellie... the only member of his family that had really been there for him, the one he'd almost lost. As much as Chuck hated to admit it, they'd fallen back into their old roles. He needed her so much now, needed that calming, comforting presence. Because truly, it was at this moment, imagining her out on that ship, imagining that he might have scarred her for the rest of her life, that he was close to falling apart.

"Chuck listen to me," she let go of his arm, but her gaze was still locked firmly on his. "I sat there all that time today thinking that those people were going to kill me."

Thankfully Devon was still standing behind her so she couldn't see his abject horror as the details began to spill out.

"I mean those guys…" her voice faltered for a minute and her eyes dropped as she searched for the right words. Chuck tried not to read into her pause. He was well aware that Dugan's men had probably been more interested in his sister than that card.

"Those guys were really, really scary Chuck."

He felt nauseous.

"Ellie, I'm so sorry."

She instantly realized her mistake, where his mind was now headed. Ellie shook her head quickly.

"No, don't be sorry," she tried to reassure him. "Nothing happened, that's not why I'm telling you this."

Chuck watched as Devon slumped in relief. But unfortunately Chuck didn't share his feelings. He wasn't quite ready to let himself off the hook.

"But Ellie, something DID happen," he reminded her. He knew he should shut up already. There was no point in dragging her through this again, but he simply couldn't help it. He needed her to understand, to figure out what he was so desperate and yet so unable to tell her.

"You were kidnapped, you were drugged, you were dragged away from your family. And that was because of me."

"Chuck, if you're going to insist on torturing yourself, then I can help you out." Ellie was losing patience with his wallowing. "I was also tied to a chair, blind folded and left there to die."

Chuck shut his mouth immediately. Devon looked even more uncomfortable. Still, he knew better than to get in the middle of this.

"But you know what happened next?" Ellie stared at her brother, waiting for that flicker of realization. He'd been bracing himself for the worst. Ellie had the right to be angry, to scream at him for bringing this mess into their lives. But now her voice was quiet and her tone was unmistakable... amazement mixed with just a hint of pride.

"You showed up, Chuck," Her face brightened. "Just like that, out of nowhere. I mean you scaled the side of a ship for godsake."

"El, you don't understand-"

"Yes I do." She seemed so sure of what she was saying. She wasn't afraid or upset with him. She was merely grateful and a little in awe of what had transpired.

"You told me to stay inside that room at the Buy More. You did your best and everything went wrong anyway." She clasped his hand in both of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "But you still came to get me, even when people were shooting at each other, even when you knew that they might kill you too."

Chuck could feel the lump rising in his throat.

"And when that bomb was counting down you stayed because you didn't want to leave me all by myself." Ellie leaned forward, her eyes shiny with tears. "Do you know how incredible that is, how incredible you are for doing that?"

Chuck took a deep breath, refusing to cry in front of his sister. He was so thankful that they had both made it through this.

"You'd do the same for me," he said softly.

It was completely true, but Ellie never acknowledged it.

"I don't care about that card or how those guys found us." She smiled at him with total sincerity. "You were there when it counted and that's enough for me. It's more than enough."

"She's right, Chuck." They both turned as Devon finally spoke up again. "What you did took a lot of guts."

Chuck listened for the sarcasm, waited to catch the withering glare. But Devon had neither to offer. He was resting against the back of the couch, like a runner propping himself up at the end of a marathon. And indeed, Ellie's story had been just as brutal as any physical test he'd ever put himself through. But somewhere in the middle of it, he'd obviously found a way to forgive.

"You brought her home," Devon added. "And that's all that matters."

Chuck could hear something else in his words, some extra meaning that Ellie couldn't quite catch.

"That's the important part."

Chuck suddenly realized what his brother in law was trying to say to him. What he'd been planning to do, spilling his secret, it wasn't going to reverse what had happened. Sure, Ellie would understand why her husband was so upset and his earlier behavior would certainly be vindicated. All of Chuck's strange decisions would finally make sense. And Chuck wouldn't have to lie anymore. But none of that would make up for the enormous burden they'd be placing on Ellie. Just hours after saving her, they'd be giving her a whole new reason to be afraid.

_Just be sure before you tell her…_ Sarah's words echoed in his head. _Once it's done you can't take it back. _

At what point did this become more about his own guilt and less about his sister's well being? At what point was he doing more harm than good? Chuck sighed. Someday he would have to tell Ellie the truth. But as he sat there watching her, he knew that today was not that day.

"I'm really sorry," Chuck couldn't help but apologize one last time.

"Don't be." Ellie's smile grew just a little bit wider. "You're a good brother, Chuck."

Nightmares or not, Ellie finally felt safe and for now that's how it needed to be. She knew nothing of the bigger, badder things in his life. She didn't know about missions, about how many people had died, and how many had been saved. She didn't know about the Intersect and the danger he was in every single day, and the danger she was probably in every day too. For the most part she was happy. At the very least she was innocent.

So let her think this was all some big mistake, that he'd tried to play hero for just one day at the Buy More. He'd made one call to the cops and gotten them all in over their heads. It was a simple explanation, one that fit into the seemingly normal world that she knew, the world that she deserved to live in.

And let her believe that her nerdy little brother could scale the side of a ship simply because he loved her. Chuck managed a smile. At least that part was true.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Ellie."

And for now, that's all he needed to say.

* * *

_Author's Note: Okay, so I was always in favor of Chuck telling Ellie the truth about his spy life. The fact that he lied to her for so long was one of the things that drove me nuts in season three. But in this instance, it seemed cruel to tell her. I like that Chuck chose his sister's happiness over his own need to clear his guilty conscience (though I'd like to believe he'd tell her a little later when the timing was right and not let her find out by accident). But feel free to disagree (or agree!) in the reviews!_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Fourteen**

Morgan was just hanging up the phone when Sarah appeared. He desperately wanted to know what had happened. His kitchen was half-destroyed. Pots and bowls were everywhere. There was pasta sauce on the floor and something had been burning. He'd caught a whiff of smoke as soon as he'd entered the apartment.

"Sorry," Sarah's face flushed when she saw him standing in the middle of her mess. "Casey needed me."

Needed her for what? On any other day, Morgan's jaw would have dropped in anticipation of an epically awesome spy story. He would've been envisioning ninjas and knife fights in his very own kitchen. But today he didn't care.

"Say no more."

Morgan reached for several dishes, piling them high in the sink. At least for tonight he was ready to take a break from tales of covert missions and secret identities. For the rest of the evening he just wanted to be a regular person, trying to fix dinner for a friend who'd had a supremely bad day. But of course that dinner part was giving them issues…

"So what do we do?" Sarah slowly surveyed the scene. For once she didn't seem too confident in her own abilities. Morgan could understand her apprehension. Ellie had always been the chef in their group. Cooking for her was rather ambitious.

"I called for pizza," Morgan tried not to sound as guilty as he actually felt. "I think I wasted all my culinary skills on that cake."

"Well I don't think I had many to begin with." Sarah nodded towards a pan on the stove. It was covered with some strange looking goop, sort of like the stuff they used in those alien horror movies. Morgan arched an eyebrow. It suddenly occurred to him that the destruction of his kitchen had more to do with Sarah's cooking abilities than national security. He'd have to consider his next words very carefully. He certainly didn't want to insult an ass-kicking spy.

"If you could see the look on your face." Sarah started to giggle. She was clearly exhausted, maybe even a little delirious.

"Well I sort of thought you guys were good at everything," Morgan admitted sheepishly.

"No, not everything." She grinned as she began collecting up her knives, hiding them in places Morgan never would have expected. "Definitely not everything."

_Wow…_ There was no denying that Sarah Walker was a terrible cook. Wonderful girl, terrible, terrible cook. At least she had a sense of humor about it.

"I know how to make four things really well."

Morgan picked up the pan for closer examination then tried not to grimace as the smell reached his nostrils.

"I take it this wasn't one of them."

"No," Sarah pressed her lips together, her embarrassment all the more endearing. "I never got to the dinner section of the book."

"Ahhh." Morgan had long considered Sarah a friend, even before he'd learned her true occupation. So now he couldn't help but tease her just a little bit more. "You might have mentioned that earlier. Maybe before I left you alone with a stove."

"Maybe," she replied. "But, I think Casey had the right idea about this."

To his surprise, Sarah grabbed the pan from him then tossed the whole thing into the trash. She then proceeded to shove the trash can as far into the corner as possible.

"We'll put new cookware on the expense account."

"Don't bother." Morgan was sure that the CIA could afford a new set of pots and pans but on his long list of desires that was pretty much at the bottom. "Ellie's got a collection of those. I doubt she'll mind sharing."

The truth was, the Awesomes' kitchen was overflowing with that kind of stuff. In fact Devon would probably pay him to take a couple more items off of their hands.

"And I bet Ellie would even throw in some cooking lessons…" Morgan trailed off, a smile spreading across his face. "Well for you at least."

"We'll see." Sarah smiled back at him as she reached for a sponge. Morgan wasn't quite sure he could picture Ellie and Sarah cooking together, but stranger things had occurred. It was weird enough watching a CIA agent wipe up the rest of the goop on the stove. This was not a scene he'd ever expected to witness.

"Go sit down." Morgan gently took the sponge from her hand. "I think you've earned a break from all this."

Sarah was on the verge of objecting then seemed to think better of it. Now that things were finally winding down, he could see that it was all catching up to her. Her smile faded and for a moment she didn't seem to know what to do with herself. Morgan realized that this was probably the first time all day that she didn't have some place to be. There was no one left to rescue, no one she needed to report to. It was time to let go, relax, enjoy the victory.

"Thanks." She finally moved to the other side of the counter and lowered herself onto one of the stools. "But honestly I didn't do much."

Morgan hardly believed that, but he appreciated her humility.

"Casey's the one who saved us," she spoke with just a hint of reluctance. "I hate to say it, but he was kind of amazing."

"He beat up a bunch of bad guys?"

Sarah nodded.

"And then he disarmed a bomb with an ax."

Morgan should have been surprised, but he wasn't. This was John Casey they were talking about.

"The Colonel always did have that delicate touch." He finished scrubbing the stove then reached into the fridge and grabbed two sodas. He held one out to her as she stifled a yawn. "Here, you could probably use the caffeine."

"Thanks." She took the drink and popped it open, then held it up in a sad little toast. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Morgan matched her gesture. "And everybody lives to fight another day, huh?"

"Yeah." Sarah rested her chin in one hand. "I guess so."

Perhaps it was a consequence of her utter fatigue, but her cheerful attitude was giving way to something else. Morgan wouldn't say she was sad, maybe just preoccupied. As he watched her sipping her drink, he couldn't help but wonder how many of these days she had lived through. How did Sarah get up every morning knowing that she and everyone around her was in danger? It wasn't something he had ever considered before. The spy world had always seemed like one big adventure. He'd assumed it was exciting, a game of good versus evil. But once you realized that the ending could be fatal, and the players were all the people you cared about, the game suddenly lost its allure.

"Can I ask you something?" Morgan hopped up on the counter, his legs dangling over the cupboards. "I mean it might be a little personal but-"

"Morgan, you got us out of Castle today," Sarah looked over at him. "At this point you can ask me whatever you want."

"Okay then."

She'd just thrown the door wide open. In the past Morgan would've had a thousand questions, but today he only had one.

"Do you ever get scared out there?" He'd always been curious about that, but now more than ever he needed to know. "I mean you guys always seem so cool, with the guns and the secret base and everything."

He fiddled with the tab on his soda can.

"But I guess there's a whole other side to this stuff, isn't there?"

"Yeah." Sarah glanced down and for a moment he felt her attention drifting away, maybe to some other, gentler world where she didn't always have to lie or put her life on the line. After a few more seconds of silence, Morgan was sure that he'd lost her entirely, but then she spoke up again, her voice just a little bit quieter now.

"You want to know the truth, Morgan?"

"Sure." He watched her closely, not wanting to step over some invisible line. "As long as it's not some government secret."

Somehow he knew her answer was important, something she needed to say out loud as much for herself as for anyone else. She rarely got the chance to be honest. She was constantly having to shift her identity or deal with her partners' various issues. But even if Morgan wasn't much of a spy, he was a good listener. And so he waited patiently as she traced her finger across her soda can, drawing pictures in the condensation.

"We're trained for these things."

She didn't sound proud, just weary.

"I mean we go in, we get what we need, sometimes there's a gun battle or a knife fight," she continued on. "But that's your job, it's your entire life. And I've never really had time to be scared."

If anybody else had said this besides maybe Casey, Morgan wouldn't have believed it. But he knew that Sarah was being sincere.

"I mean I always worry about Chuck." Her tone betrayed far more on that subject than she probably intended to. "And sometimes I worry about Casey, but I've been doing this forever."

"So you're used to it."

"I thought I was."

She was struggling to put her own thoughts into words, battling the secretive instincts that made her such a great spy.

"I mean we're all safe now," she said softly. "And I got to talk to Chuck and Casey and everything's fine, great even, really, really great. And I thought I had this all figured out, but still…" She trailed off and he was certain she was replaying the day's events in her mind. The exact same expression had crossed Ellie's face earlier. It was one thing to smile and joke and try to move on. But once you stopped, really stopped for a second and considered how close you'd come to losing everything... it was a pretty overwhelming experience.

"This wasn't a regular mission," Sarah was clearly still trying to explain it to herself. "It was just this horrible rollercoaster with all these moments where things could have gone wrong, but then somehow they didn't."

"Maybe because you and Casey were there," Morgan offered. "And Chuck too. You guys are the reason we got the happy ending."

"Maybe," Sarah knew as well as anyone that their happy ending still had complications. "I just never expected anything to scare me again. But then today..." she sighed. "Today I was really scared... of a lot of things."

Morgan realized that he was just now seeing the girl Chuck had known all these years. There was a certain toughness to Sarah Walker that was easy to admire. But there was also some vulnerability, a bit of regular girl mixed in with the super spy.

"We were all scared, Sarah," he reminded her. "That's how you can tell when something's really important."

Sarah nodded, finally raising her eyes to meet his. She'd figured that out of course, but it was obviously something she was still getting used to.

"Anyone home?"

The front door opened, jarring Morgan out of his thoughts. Sarah straightened immediately, shaking off her fatigue as she turned to face their guests. It was amazing how quickly she could transition back to the confident spy hiding in plain sight.

Chuck came through the door first, followed by Ellie and Devon. Ellie broke into a smile when she saw Sarah and it dawned on Morgan that Ellie didn't know anything about the role that Sarah had played in her rescue. It didn't seem to matter though, Ellie was obviously happy to see her friend.

"Sarah, I didn't know you were here."

"I came over as soon as I heard."

Sarah lied like an expert. But as she reached out to hug Ellie, her gaze went straight to Chuck who was slowly shaking his head. Morgan wasn't sure what was going on, but that was pretty much par for the course. Those two had their own language. Sarah gave Chuck a reassuring smile before she focused her attention back on his sister.

"Are you okay?" There was real concern in her voice as she looked Ellie over.

"I'm fine." Ellie was used to that question by now. "Just glad to be home."

Already some of the sparkle had returned to her eyes. And her smile appeared to be genuine. Devon seemed a little less comfortable as he hovered close to his wife, but his anger had passed. They were all on the same side here.

"Maybe we should just call you Spiderman, huh?" Morgan went over to Chuck, hoping to keep the mood light. He knew how hard this had been for his friend. "Climbing walls, jumping through windows."

Sarah was practically beaming with pride. But Chuck merely shrugged as all eyes turned to him.

"It was mostly the police." He chose his words carefully, trying to convey so much while revealing so little. "There were a lot of good people helping me out."

"You're right about that." Devon put his arm around Ellie. He glanced over at Sarah and gave her the tiniest nod of thanks. "They did an amazing job."

_Amazing indeed… _Morgan thought to himself. He was filled with such an overwhelming sense of relief. Ellie was here and she seemed okay. She was the same sweet, beautiful girl he had always adored. And Chuck... Chuck seemed okay too. Earlier in the evening his best friend had been walking around in a daze, wracked with guilt over what had happened to Ellie. But now he'd apparently found some absolution. And Morgan was certainly happy to see that.

"So what's for dinner?" Chuck leaned to one side, trying to get a view into the kitchen. They had managed to clean most of it up, but the stench of alien goop still hung in the air. Chuck glanced back at him.

"Was something burning?"

Sarah's face was already pink and on the way to bright red, but this was one bullet Morgan could take for the team.

"Yeah, that was me." He buried his hands deep in his pockets. Morgan knew embarrassment so it wasn't a difficult emotion to fake. "Apparently my skill set stops at desserts."

"But we ordered pizza," Sarah added quickly. Morgan tried to hide his amusement at her sudden enthusiasm.

"Sorry," she caught herself as she turned back to Ellie. "I know it's not very exciting."

Ellie didn't seem to mind in the least. In fact her smile grew just a little bit wider.

"It sounds great to me."

Maybe she was overcompensating, trying to forget the hours spent out on that ship. But Morgan also suspected that she'd been right earlier. Being home with her family really was the best medicine for her.

"Can we have the left over cake in the meantime?"

Ellie didn't wait for an answer. Instead she headed straight for the kitchen. As the apartment's previous occupant, she already knew where everything was.

"Wow, dessert first." Chuck followed along behind her. "A daring choice."

"There's milk in the fridge, guys," Morgan called after them.

Even though it was trivial, he was still thrilled that his friends thought so highly of his precious cake. At least he was able to offer them something. These were his two favorite Bartowskis after all. And as they opened cupboards and rummaged through drawers, Morgan felt utterly content, as if his world was back in balance again. Pretty soon Devon had joined the siblings and the trio fell back into an easy routine.

Morgan glanced over at Sarah who was watching the familiar scene with renewed interest. What was it they said about tragedy showing a person what's really important? Well apparently near tragedy had the same effect.

"You still scared?" Morgan kept his voice low so the others wouldn't hear him.

"A little." Sarah confessed, her gaze still fixed on the kitchen. Though he dared never tell her, Sarah's words warmed his heart to no end.

"That's probably not going away any time soon."

Sarah had finally met her match, though surprisingly not with some deadly assassin, but instead with the people she'd vowed to protect.

"Sorry about that," he continued. "It's part of the human condition."

Sarah nodded slowly, knowing that her fate was already sealed. There was no turning back now, she'd already fallen under the spell. He could see the flicker of happiness crossing her face.

"It's worth it though, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Morgan leaned back against the couch, taking it all in.

Back in the kitchen Chuck was cutting the cake, swatting at his sister as she reached into the frosting. Loving people was a risk. There was always a danger that something could go wrong, that the people you cared about might never come home. But love also came with many rewards. This family had taught him that long ago.

He smiled to himself.

"It's totally worth it."


	15. Chapter 15

_Hi guys! I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I was almost done when life got in the way. __ But now I'm back so without further ado, I present to you…_

**Chuck Versus the Liability**

**Part Fifteen**

Somehow a group of five people had managed to demolish four pizzas and that was after they'd polished off the remains of a birthday cake. Chuck was duly impressed. This might have been the best meal they'd ever served at their apartment, well besides the famous holiday feasts. Many glasses of wine had been poured and casual conversation had slowly returned. It felt like the tension had finally been broken. Everyone was in silent agreement that, at least for tonight, they'd step back into their normal lives and try to get past everything that had happened. Ellie needed that and certainly the rest of them needed it too.

"Dude, that song…" Devon was grinning as Morgan took a sudden interest in the ceiling. The discussion had turned to his infamous karaoke performance the previous evening. "You just kept belting it over and over."

"That was really bad." Ellie was trying her best not to laugh. But sheer exhaustion had made her fairly giddy and soon enough she'd lost the battle. "Really, really bad."

Devon attempted a quick imitation, but most of the notes were way beyond him. He managed to squeak out a few lines as Ellie giggled beside him.

"Well if you'd sung the girl's part like you were supposed to..." Morgan pointed at her accusingly. "It's called a duet for a reason, El."

The whole table watched as Ellie attempted to answer, but by this point it was almost hopeless. The tears had come fast and furious and now they were beginning to spill down her cheeks. Chuck shifted his focus to Sarah. Her lips were pressed together as she tried to stay strong. But Morgan and Devon had already broken. Ellie's laughter was rather contagious.

"I didn't even know your voice could do that." Ellie finally caught her breath as she wiped the tears away. "It was insanely high."

Chuck smiled. Apparently his sister still held fond memories of her birthday party, even after its horrible ending. And for that he was thankful.

"Okay, wait a second," Chuck decided to give Morgan some support in this argument. "He's vastly improved since his last outing."

"Oh come on," Morgan groaned, clearly not appreciating Chuck's intervention. "The karaoke bar, really?"

Over the years Morgan had taken quite a few opportunities to embarrass himself in front of Ellie Bartowski. And strangely enough, many of them involved singing.

"Oh Chuck..." For once Ellie could feel Morgan's pain. "Hasn't he suffered enough?"

"It's a classic," Chuck reminded her. "Who doesn't love that story?"

Morgan started to raise his hand, but unfortunately they'd already grabbed Sarah's attention.

"The karaoke bar?"

She glanced from Morgan to Chuck, obviously intrigued. Morgan's eyes widened and he slowly shook his head. If that wasn't enough of a sign, he mouthed "no," once then twice, then a third time for good measure.

"Okay, so it wasn't pretty," Chuck dove in anyway, unable to help himself. Morgan automatically reached for the wine. "Ellie and Devon had just started dating and one night we sort of met up with them-"

"Because of course he knew I'd love that, right?" Ellie shared a knowing look with Sarah. "I mean who wouldn't want to double date with their little brother and Morgan?"

"And it was totally his idea too." Morgan was only too happy to toss his pal in the hot seat. "He pulled that whole MacGyver trick where you color on a notepad to see the message."

"You did not!" Ellie's mouth dropped open. "That's how you found out where we were going?"

Chuck's face reddened a bit. He had planned to skip that part of the story.

"You crashed her date?" Sarah turned on him just as fast. Ellie was still trying to look mad or at least annoyed. She wasn't quite succeeding at either.

"He crashed my date."

"Wow." Sarah regarded him with mock dismay. "I'm sort of disappointed in you."

Ellie nodded in agreement.

"I'm _very_ disappointed in you."

Oh god... Chuck could suddenly see what was happening here. Ellie and Sarah were having one of those girl solidarity moments. It was sweet and also a little bit scary.

"Come on El," Devon quickly came to his rescue. "The boys were just checking up on you."

"Exactly," Chuck gestured towards his brother-in-law, grateful for the lifeline. "This guy was sending you flowers twice a day sis, it was a little bit creepy." He glanced over at Awesome. "No offence, buddy."

"None taken."

He could still remember those early days with Devon, how much Ellie had loved him and how much Chuck had not. Seriously, who sent flowers twice a day? He'd always teased his sister about her worrying, but the truth was he hadn't been any better. The first day he'd met Devon all of that charm and awesomeness had caused the words "serial killer" to flash through Chuck's mind.

"Morgan and I were just watching your back."

"Oh is that what you called it?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"Well," Chuck reconsidered. "That's how it started anyway."

"Alright," Morgan swallowed the last bit of pizza then wiped his mouth as all eyes turned to him. "Sarah doesn't need to hear this."

"Yes she does." Sarah was already grinning in anticipation. She'd been around long enough to know that Morgan and Ellie stories tended towards hilarity. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"No, it was fine at first," Ellie picked up the tale as Morgan sank deeper into his chair. Chuck's minor infraction was all but forgotten.

"Devon and I were just having drinks, that's it," she explained. "I think it was our third or fourth date. I went to the restroom and by the time I got back Chuck was at the table and Morgan was on stage."

"It was 80's night..." Morgan felt the need to clarify. "No one can resist a good power ballad-"

"It was about ten power ballads," Ellie corrected him. Chuck had actually counted thirteen, but he kept that to himself. "And poor Devon is just sitting there looking totally confused."

"And Ellie is sitting there looking totally horrified," Chuck laughed. "I mean it just kept going."

"And going..."

"He wouldn't give the mic up," Devon jumped in. This was one of his all time favorite stories. "And I'm trying to figure out who this weird little dude is. Just singing and singing to the girl I'd come in with."

"Come on guys..." Morgan tried one more time, but Devon didn't seem to hear him. He was far too wrapped up in the tale he was telling.

"Finally this kid," Devon hooked his thumb in Morgan's direction. "Takes his bow, comes up to me, sticks his hand out and introduces himself…"

Both Chuck and Ellie knew this by heart.

"I'm Morgan Guillermo Grimes," they said in perfect unison.

"Guys please don't-" Morgan protested.

"Oh please do!" Sarah was enjoying the hell out of this. Devon tilted his head towards Chuck. That was his cue.

"I've known this girl for ten years!" Chuck leaped to his feet, his impression spot on. Morgan had given him plenty of material. "Her name is Eleanor Faye Bartowski. She loves milkshakes and french fries and pretends to like salad. She cries at those cheesy Hallmark commercials and knows every song in Sister Act 2!"

Ellie grabbed at Devon's arm, trying to stop him before he joined in. But it was a lost cause. The boys had spent months memorizing this speech.

"She cooks better than my own mother!" They were really getting into it now. "Smells nicer than any other girl in the world and secretly kicks ass at Super Mario 3!"

"Not true." Ellie shook her head, even as Morgan leaned over towards Sarah.

"That's totally true."

"Her sweet potatoes are OUT-standing, her pancakes are incredible. And one day she'll be an amazing doctor and she'll forget all about you because this girl-" The boys threw out their arms and pointed at Ellie. Morgan looked like he was ready to die. "Is the girl _I'm_ going to marry!"

There was a second of silence as Sarah imagined the scene playing out. Crowded bar, Friday night, heads turning... Chuck waited, knowing what would come next. And just like that Sarah burst out laughing.

"You're kidding," She regarded Morgan with a mixture of horror and newfound respect. Chuck's little bearded buddy managed a smile.

"They are not."

The truth was, for all his objections, Morgan actually seemed to enjoy the reenactment. It was part of their shared history. Besides, it had taken guts to confront a guy like Captain Awesome. Thankfully, Devon had taken the whole thing in stride. And the fact that he hadn't knocked Morgan on his ass had certainly helped endear him to Chuck.

"So that's when I knew," Devon gave Morgan a friendly slap on the back. "I totally wanted to be a part of this strange little club."

"Well thank goodness for that." Ellie let out an exaggerated sigh of relief as Devon took his seat again. "I was saved from a future of video games and Star Wars discussions."

"Yeah, but you missed out on all this," Morgan gestured to his not so muscular torso, now hidden behind an Ewok T-shirt. Ellie made a face, trying desperately not to smile.

"Totally my loss." Her voice broke. She was starting to lose it again, Chuck could see it in her eyes. And Morgan was just egging her on.

"I'm serious, I've got like, four pack abs here." He patted his stomach. "Okay maybe two, but four is do-able, I really think-"

He began to lift his shirt but Chuck hastily reached over to stop him.

"Hang on buddy, people are eating here."

And that was enough to send Ellie over the edge. She dropped her head, struggling to suppress a fresh wave of giggles as Morgan rolled his eyes. Chuck couldn't help but love them just a little bit more. These two had known each other forever and at this point they had their roles down perfectly. Morgan would never stop professing his love for Ellie, but they all knew that his childhood crush had long since subsided. He saw her as a sister now, easy to annoy, fun to hang out with. And as much as Ellie might hate to admit it, Chuck knew she was amused by all the attention.

"Wow," Ellie took a long moment to recover. And as she looked up her gaze fell upon Sarah, the only other girl who could appreciate all of this madness.

"How is it that we haven't scared you off yet?"

The question was playful, teasing even, but it seemed to catch Sarah completely off guard. Her eyes darted from Ellie to Chuck as she searched for an answer.

"Don't worry, El," Devon came in for the assist. "I don't think she scares easily."

Sarah blushed at that, but Devon was certainly correct in his assessment. If Sarah Walker was still around after bombings and shootings and "Evenings with Morgan," then clearly she was braver than most.

"I think we're stuck with her now."

"Good," Ellie said with total sincerity. "I'm glad."

Chuck was glad too.

He wanted to tell Sarah that, but already Morgan had stolen her attention away, launching into yet another tale of their teenage exploits. Chuck considered stopping him, ever wary of what Morgan might say, but instead he shifted his focus to the other side of the table. Devon had scooted his chair a little closer to Ellie and now he leaned in, whispering something in his wife's ear. Chuck knew that he was checking on her. It was a normal gesture, one he'd witnessed a million times before, but never fully appreciated. It was funny the things he was suddenly noticing, the way Sarah's dinner conversations now sounded real and not like the small talk she'd been so carefully trained in, the way Morgan loved to make people laugh, even at his own expense and the way Ellie clearly cherished these simple moments around the table, even if dinner was served in a box.

Chuck slowly reached for the last bottle of wine. There was just enough left for one final round. He filled Sarah's glass, then his own. Devon took care of the rest of the group. Of course, the tradition was to give the toast before the meal. But Chuck didn't care.

This day had cast a new light upon all of them, revealing different aspects of their lives and personalities that others rarely saw. He knew that no matter how happy she seemed right now, Ellie would be sleeping with the lights on for awhile. But her strength and resolve were no less impressive. She had been ready to face death all by herself, just to save his life. He considered how much that meant to him, how touched he was by Morgan's bravery, Devon's protectiveness, Sarah's willingness to stand by him for no other reason than the fact that he needed her... These were amazing people, all of them. He wanted to acknowledge that, what they meant to him, how much he loved them. And so Chuck stood and raised his glass as the others fell silent around him.

"First of all, Ellie." He looked over at his sister. She was clearly content, her head resting on Devon's shoulder. "I am so very, very glad that you're safe and home with us again."

"Here, here!" Morgan chimed in. He eagerly leaned over to clink glasses with her. "Glad you're back, El."

"Thanks Morgan." Ellie's eyes were shiny with tears again. Chuck had been so worried that the day's events would come to define his sister, that somehow she'd end up scared and distrustful. But she'd always been resilient. As kids they'd gone through so much and obviously they'd come out stronger for it. Still, it hadn't been easy... not for her and certainly not for him either.

"Ellie and I…" he started out slowly, searching for the right words. "Well, we spent a lot of our lives on our own."

A sad smile crossed his face as he recalled what it was like, just the two of them against the world.

"We took care of each other we because we had no one else."

Ellie wiped the tears from her cheeks and Morgan's expression grew somber. He remembered it just as well as they did. He'd been their sidekick on the sad little journey that had ended their childhood. But back then he'd been a kid as well, barely able to watch out for himself, let alone them. And so Chuck had placed all of his faith in his sister and she in him. It had bonded them together forever, but that hadn't made it any less scary.

"It was hard and it was lonely," Chuck continued, struggling to keep his emotions in check. "But eventually things changed. And that's because of you. It's because of all of you."

He looked at each of them in turn. And in that moment he saw Casey as well, peering through the curtains. Their eyes met for just a second and Chuck realized that he was standing guard out in the courtyard, making sure they were safe, at least for one night.

"Now you guys are a part of our family." Chuck made sure his voice carried. He wanted Casey to hear this too. "And if I've learned anything today, it's that you'll always look out for us, no matter what. And I love each and every one of you for that."

He had never been more sincere. Truly, he would do anything for any one of these people and he knew, without a doubt, that the feeling was mutual.

Chuck realized now why he loved that karaoke story. It was a funny tale from their past, that was true. But in some ways it had also been the start of this new family he cherished so much. It was the day he'd come to accept Devon and probably the day Ellie realized that, one way or the other, she'd be stuck with Morgan Grimes for the rest of her life. Chuck hadn't seen it then, what that night meant, but now it seemed so obvious. And tonight... tonight it felt as if yet another chapter of their lives was beginning.

"To family." Ellie raised her glass as the others followed suit.

The Bartowski clan was expanding again. Morgan, the goofy kid who was finally growing up, Devon who'd become like a brother to Chuck, and now his team. He knew it would be awhile before Casey returned to this table. He generally reserved his big dinners for missions or holidays, but he would always be welcome. And Sarah... no matter what happened, she would always have a place here. And he could tell from the smile that lit up her face that she understood this.

Chuck sighed. That weight he'd been carrying for so long was finally lifting. Down the road there would be more guys like Dugan, more threats and certainly more danger to his family and friends. And someday his secret would come out and he and Ellie would have to deal with that too. But never again would he wonder, even for a split second, if Casey might turn his back on them or if Devon and Morgan could hang in through the bad situations. There were no questions of loyalty or trust. Chuck had just lived through the worst situation he could think of and they'd stuck with him through all of it.

This was his family. These were his people. They allowed him to go out and save the world, because they'd given him a reason to fight and a place to return to when the fighting was done. This day had thrown his life into sharp clarity, reminding him what truly mattered. And so in the end, when he could no longer recall every detail of that bomb, or the sound of Dugan's voice on the phone or the feeling of running through that ship as time ticked away, he would still remember this dinner with the people he loved.

Chuck took a sip of his wine then finally turned the floor over to Morgan. His best friend gave another loving toast to Ellie, and then the old stories started once more. The apartment filled with laughter. And that was how it would continue for the rest of the night.

**THE END**

* * *

_Author's Notes: So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed Chuck versus the Liability. Since this is the final chapter I would really, really appreciate it if you could write a review (what scenes you liked, what part of the story interested you, favorite characters etc-details are good! __). I realize I left a few loose ends, but that was intentional. Where does Agent Hoyt land? What really happened to that card? Well I have my opinion and you can have yours. _

_Somebody recently asked me how I came up with this story, so for those who are curious…. The basic idea came to me after I watched Chuck versus the Santa Claus. That was a wonderful episode for many reasons, but there was one part of the story I always wished they'd revisited. It seemed obvious that Chuck would surrender the Intersect in order to save Ellie. But what would the CIA have to say about his actions? Wouldn't they be concerned that their secrets could be traded away so easily? Wouldn't it worry them that their asset could be compromised so quickly and for a person who held little to no value in their operation? The idea of love and what you're willing to sacrifice for it has been broached before on this show, but I wanted to see it from another angle. These characters obviously care about each other but the government views their close relationships as liabilities, and in some ways they are. Chuck does, afterall, tell Mauser the truth and risks countless lives in doing so. Of course in Santa Claus, it's never clear whether anyone knew why Chuck revealed that he was the Intersect. But that thought stuck in my mind and, out of that, this story was born._

_In addition, I've always loved the family theme in this show. I definitely wanted a chance to explore that a little more. I decided that there should be one big event that could bring everyone together. It would force Sarah and Casey to realize that their roles in Burbank are changing and that maybe there is a little more to life than being a spy. And it would help confirm what Chuck already knows, but sometimes forgets: that family really is the most important thing. The danger and action can be exciting, fun even, but at some point you want to go home to the people you love. __ And in Chuck's case that group is ever expanding. _

_So that's it guys, that's my story. If you know anyone else who might like Chuck versus the Liability please spread the word. It took quite awhile to write, so it's always great to know people are reading it. Thanks again for sticking with it for these many, many months. Hope you had as much fun as I did! And with that I bid you farewell… for now. :)_


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